The Promise of a Leaf
by Krokador
Summary: My version of what happened during the time skip, centered on Ino and Sakura. The pink haired kunoichi made a promise to her friend long ago, and is going to hold onto it until the very end. InoSaku. Complete.
1. Chapter 1 : Stand Up

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters, any parts of its universe, and any plot twist that was originally in the story. This story is for entertainment purpose only and no copyright infrigments are intended.**  
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**Chapter 1**** : Stand Up**

Ino sat pensively on a bench in the park, darkness and moonlight surrounding her. She was holding the ribbon she had offered Sakura a few years ago as if holding on to life itself, yet the feelings that made her fist clench over the precious garment didn't quite seem to reach her face. She was in denial, and was indeed oblivious to everything that surrounded her at this right moment, from the relentless chirp of the crickets to the steady and calming sound of the fountain flowing a few feet away from her. It was a clear night, yet it felt so gray, and unnaturally clouded in the mind of the young kunoichi. In such a strong and meaningful handshake, Sakura had declared that they were rivals, and that she wouldn't follow in her shadow anymore. And this one time, Ino couldn't compare her own strength to Sakura's, and tell her how wrong she was. She wasn't ready for that moment, although she had known it would come someday. But she had never imagined it **that** way.

Sakura was walking home, her steps unsteady, after training for what seemed like an eternity. She was tired, beyond exhausted, all her muscles were sore and her throat was raw. She desperately needed a glass of water, and a shower. But as she made her way in the quiet streets of Konoha, she couldn't help but smile at herself. "Just watch me Ino, one day I'll be just as strong as you." And then memories came back to her, of that day she had promised her best friend that she'd grow stronger, no matter the hardships, and something barely perceptible tugged at her heart, for an instant drawing a frown upon her soft, girlish features. But the feeling was gone when the pictures came back to her.

_ It was a sunny day, like many others. The birds were singing high in the trees, bugs buzzed around, the light sometimes shining off their wings like the sparks of a firefly, only during the day. There was this light, warm breeze blowing and all the girls were outside enjoying the recess hour either by playing games, chit-chatting to an insane level, or just laying in the grass and enjoying the quiet moment. That's what Sakura and Ino had been doing__, because they liked spending time together like this, and also because some of the girls that Ino was usually hanging with had been mean to Sakura, and the blond girl had become more found of her pink haired friend than all the others. Or so it seemed._

_"__You know Sakura…" Ino had said, her voice inquiring, really wanting to get her friend to listen. Sakura had turned her face towards her, her brows brought up in a questioning frown, ready to hear what her friend had to see, yet somehow fearing it would be a bad thing. "The other girls, they aren't mean to you because they don't like you." Sakura's brows furrowed, she was expecting some kind of lecture about how she should stand for herself more and be stronger. "Then why?" she finally asked, softly, not trusting herself to talk louder in fear that the memories of what these girls had just said to her would make her cry, once again. Not when she had managed not to cry for once._

_____ Ino smiled as she turned her head toward her friend's, their gaze meeting as their eyes sparkled under the sun, squinting slightly under the harsh light. "It's 'cause they're jealous." The blond girl finally said, a smirk crossing her lips. Sakura's eyes widened with shock. "You've got to be kidding! How could anyone be jealous of… me?" she had finished her sentence in such a soft voice that Ino had barely heard the final words. A blush of shame crept on Sakura's cheek just as she said that, and it lasted until Ino finally broke the silence with words she thought were well chosen. "You remember how I said, the other day, that you were like a bud, and that one day you would bloom into a beautiful flower?" Sakura looked at her feet, remembering how good it had made her feel when Ino had said that, apparently meaning it. Or if she was lying, she was a damn good liar. But she didn't feel like she lived up to that expectation. "I think they see it too. That's why they're so mean to you: they're afraid you're going to become better, stronger and more beautiful than them."_

_______ The tone in Ino's voice was beyond convincing. She had said all the words, and meant them from the bottom of her own heart. Sakura just stared at her, still not quite believing, or understanding why her friend had all that confidence in her when she lacked any. Her emerald eyes glistened with unshed tears that threatened to spill any minute now, but the reason for them was way different than when she usually cried. And so she let them slip, unable to hold the feeling in anymore. She was expecting Ino to scowl at her for being so weak, but when she heard nothing she looked up and saw the same tears in her friend's eyes._

_________ "Arigato" the pink haired young kunoichi whispered, while tentatively reaching out for her friend's face. It was impulsive, but this one time she wanted to be the one comforting her friend, and not the other way around. She gently wiped the lone tear that had ran dawn Ino's cheek, lightly brushing her thumb on the corner of her mouth before withdrawing her hand and smiling despite the stingy feeling in her own eyes left by the tears of joy. "I promise Ino…" She had said with a voice that had become a part of her pillar in the rough times to come. "I promise that I'll grow strong and beautiful, so they will all see that your trust in me wasn't misplaced." –And that'll teach them.- Ino thought while smiling back at Sakura. In that right moment, there was no other place she wanted to be but beside her best friend. She had no idea how it had happened, that she had grown so attached to that pink haired cry baby of a girl. But she knew her intuition was always right, and so didn't doubt even one second that it was the right place to be._

___________ Ino wrapped her arm around Sakura's shoulders and shuffled into a position that allowed her to hug the other young girl. Yep, it felt right._

___________Ino sighed, remembering that promise Sakura had made. And how the girl had never specified that the blond kunoichi would be a part of her getting stronger. __Get over it Yamanaka, she doesn't need you anymore, so what? _A part of her wanted to get up, forget about it and just go back to her normal life. She still had friends, actually she had everything she wanted. _But I no longer have Sakura. _And with that realization, the tears finally ran down her pretty face.

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Ino was sitting on that same bench, only a couple months later, wondering where it had all gone wrong. She had just gotten in yet another fight with her ex-best friend about Sasuke, although in her heart she could've cared less about the dark shinobi. She couldn't let it happen, she couldn't let Sakura ever be with the Uchiha boy. The reasons why had began to blur in her head. Why couldn't Sakura be with the man she loved when all the competition - consisting of only her, because who else had the charms to conquer him, she though - had dropped? A pang of guilt struck her, as she realized this whole thing was in major part her fault. If only she hadn't pretended to like Sasuke… But then, she **had **liked him for a while, although where she had stopped caring she couldn't tell. All she knew was that now, she missed the presence of her best friend more than ever. But she had no clue on how to say that to her friend – if they were even still friend.

She finally decided it was enough thinking for an evening, and took the initiative to go back home. Her steps light as a feather, she made her way through the darkened alleys, the moonlight shining in an incredibly hollow fashion on everything she crossed. The cool breeze blew lightly on the strand of hair she always kept in front of her face, tingling the tip of her nose. She scratched it absently, frowning as she thought she heard a noise. Curious, she walked in the direction it seemed to come from, until she came at a few paces of another alley, where she saw first Sasuke, then heard Sakura's voice – a heart wrenching yelp for attention. The dark clad Uchiha had heard her and turned her way, making it so Ino couldn't notice the backpack he was carrying. Something suddenly stirred in her and she smiled, before Sakura's plea erased it all. She really loved the boy, and that made her heart clench at the thought of them together. Not able to watch anymore, she turned away and went home.

And when the next morning she woke up to go meet her team as usual, Chouji and Shikamaru weren't there. The words Asuma summoned to explain what was going on to her lost all their meanings. The only thing that registered in her mind was the words "Sasuke", and "gone" put in the same sentence. Without letting her sensei finish, she took a running start towards Sakura's home. To hell with adversity, Sakura was her friend and it was a given she would need someone to talk to.

Sakura was sitting on a bench on the porch of her house, gazing into nothingness as she tried putting the thoughts back in order in her chaotic mind. She was anxious, felt betrayed and at the same time heartbroken. There was this little light that had appeared when Naruto had promised to bring Sasuke back, but now it seemed so faint, and had been replaced by a very, very bad feeling.

She was startled hearing footsteps coming her way, and when she found Ino climbing the stairs hesitantly, her face scrunched up in a hateful glare. "If you've come to pick a fight Yamanaka, you chose a very bad time." Was her hissed threat as the blond girl made her way to pick the place next to hers. She stayed silent for a moment, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt, not too sure on how to say this. "I'm sorry, Sakura." She finally let out, sighing as she thought about her next words. Would she tell the girl she had caught a bit of her conversation with Sasuke, and that having cared a bit more she could've, maybe, changed the chain of events? No, that was something Sakura didn't need to know. "Sorry for what?"

Sakura had practically spat out her last reply, and instantly regretted her angry tone as she saw Ino's saddened expression, as well as her obvious nervousness. She had lowered her head and held her breath, waiting for her friend to lash out at her if she wanted to - she was ready to take it all without as much as a will to fight back. But the hit never came, and instead the pink haired kunoichi collapsed in her arms, letting out the sobs she had been holding in since awakening on that cold bench early this morning. Ino held her close, trying her best to comfort her friend. "Naruto's going to bring him back, don't you worry forehead." The half-insult had slipped out of her mouth, and she was about to correct her mistake when she heard Sakura slightly giggle through her crying. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" and she was cut short when a sniffling and puffy eyed Sakura retreated from her embrace slowly to look Ino in the eye. "It's a comforting name coming from you. The way you said it, anyway." She then laid her head on Ino's shoulder and the blond girl instinctively wrapped her arm around the still very sad girl's shoulders. "Can we call a truce?"

Sakura frowned, lifting her head the slightest bit to be able to catch a glimpse of Ino's expression. Why did the blond have to ask that question when it was quite obvious that Sakura could care less about their past differences at the exact moment? "Actually…" the blond girl voiced, looking down to her friend. "I'd like to make peace." Another wave of sob made its way up Sakura's throat as she threw her arms around her friend, pulling her into a tight embrace. Ino gladly hugged her back, accepting this quiet response as a yes, and despite the situation she etched a smile on these dry lips, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding. It was a sad smile, but still one, and some of the anguish she had felt for the past years suddenly disappeared as if Sasuke had been the one causing them, and had ran away taking them with him. Well he **was** responsible, to an extent. And somewhere deep within, even though she knew it was the wrong thing to do, she hoped that the Uchiha survivor would never come back to Konoha.

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___________**AN: **Alrighty, so this is my first of a few chapters based off mostly on the evolution of the relationship between Ino and Sakura during the time skip. I don't expect to be updating often, every time I have promised to do so I failed horribly. Also my style is a bit rusty at the moment, so some sentences may look weird, and my vocabulary needs a bit of work. _

___________I appreciate any kind of feedback, as long as it is feedback. Having readers that express their interest in my story does help me update faster – or update at all . My proof-reading is sloppy at best (especially since I have this thing for posting an update late at night when I should be in bed) but I'm naturally gifted with super-accurate spelling as I was once told by one of my teachers, so if you see anything, it's probably a typo hehe – or my lack of knowledge in English, seeing as it is my second language. Oh yeah, this isn't my first fanfic even though it's the first I'm posting here. But I'm no pro either so all comments are welcome )_

___________Just to play on the safe side. There's going to be a lot of Ino/Sakura interaction, and obviously it'll get more intense as I go forward with this. I'm going to try to stay as true to the characters as I can. If two anime girls in love make you go eww, I guess "quit reading now" is appropriate. I may introduce more pairings as this develops into a solid plot, I have a few ideas and ain't exactly sure what I want to do with it yet, and I do plan to keep telling the story beyond the skip. shifty eyes No I'm not planning Akatsuki's demise yet ._

___________Oh, and I don't own Naruto, nor any other characters but the new ones I may introduce. And even then they're heavily inspired by Masashi Kishimoto's universe. So that's that._


	2. Chapter 2 : Still Frame

**Chapter 2 – Still Frame **

It had been a long wait, but the rescue party had finally come back, seriously hurt but alive, much to both Ino and Sakura's relief. They had spent most of that time idling together, not really sure they had the strength nor the will to talk. Especially Sakura. So when Ino had come running to tell her they were back, her mood suddenly went way up in hopes to find Sasuke. Only to come crashing down when she saw Naruto in that hospital room… alone.

That's when she remembered the time passed with Ino, and everything that had happened since she had joined Team 7. She knew she couldn't go weeping about it again, that if she wanted to stop the people she loved from leaving her, and getting hurt, that she had to do something of her own. It's with a renewed resolve that she went seeing Tsunade to ask for her to be her sempai. Naruto was going to train to get strong? Well she would train more, and get stronger. Oh, it was a nice optimistic thought, but little did she know how hard that training would be.

Ino was waiting for her in front of Tsunade's office, a worried look deforming her almost perfect, smooth and beautiful features. _Beautiful? Why not attractive while I'm at it? This whole hope and wait situation's got me way too tired, this is Ino-pig we're talking about! _Sakura thought as she smiled faintly to her, acknowledging her presence – something she wasn't used to do anymore. "You ok, Sakura-chan?" Ino asked, her voice full of concern. _Decidedly, this is a very weird turn of events._ Sakura tried to wave it away, shifting the topic onto Ino's situation in an attempt to not lose her composure. "Huh yeah, how's Chouji?" _At least it looks like she already knows about Sasuke, I won't have to break her the news… _The pink haired kunoichi almost felt relieved at that thought. Ino looked down, much to Sakura's surprise, her friend wasn't doing all that well herself. "I couldn't see him, but his father told me he was going to be alright." The blonde girl smiled faintly, hesitating. "Then I saw Naruto and he told about, well… He said he was worried about you, that you had sounded far too quiet, and he wanted to know what you were planning."

It took a moment for Sakura to fully register the fact that Naruto, out of all people, was worried about her. Especially after she had done her best **not** to cry. Ino mistook the look of disbelief on her face for amazement and chuckled, rolling her eyes slightly. "Yeah, that's like, such a change for a brat like him!" She had failed to notice the clenched fist at Sakura's side, so the tone her voice held when she spoke next surprised her. It was a mix of anguish, pain and acceptation, something quite indescribable actually. "So, no matter how strong I'll decide to become, I'll always have others worried about me, huh?" Ino frowned and looked her friend straight in the eyes. "Well of course, dummy. That's 'cause we care about you."

Her fist loosened suddenly, her vision suddenly blurry with unshed tears that threatened to spill freely, and her lips absently mouthed the word "we" as she began to realize she was being stupid. Sakura slowly brought her hand to her chest, still under the gaze of Ino, as if that movement alone meant everything she felt at that moment. "Arigato" was all that escaped her lips however, as she felt the hollow syllables fall unto the silence and threatened to break it with sobs the next minute. A very subtle blush crept on Ino's cheeks as she reached behind her head to scratch an inexistent itch in the back of her neck, all the while showing a sheepish grin. "You're welcome." Ino finally said as she dropped her arm to her side and shifted her gaze back to Sakura. _Argh, since when to I feel **that **way for just telling her that I care? _"So what's your secret plan to become stronger?" she quickly added, hoping to just let the feeling go. "You're not going to declare us rivals again, right?" A tiny bit of fear danced in her guts at the simple thought of loosing her best friend again, and she hoped it wouldn't happen. "Oh, no-no!" Sakura hurried, afraid that her friend would want that, not trusting herself to go by herself without her closest friend once more. It was over after all, they had nothing left to fight over, and it was better that way. The doubts receded when she saw the curious glare Ino was giving her, and she decided to answer. "Starting tomorrow, I'll be training with Tsunade-sama."

Ino's jaw dropped. She had expected that Sakura would've come up with something radical, sure, but that was **far **beyond what she had imagined her friend would get into. "You? A medic Nin?" She just couldn't believe it. "And why not?" was Sakura's heated reply, outraged by the apparent lack of trust in her ability her friend had in her. "I have perfect chakra control, and I'm one of the smartest kid of our promotion. I fit the profile perfectly!" she said with confidence. "I don't doubt your skills." Ino deadpanned, crossing her arms over her chest. She charged back with a hurtful truth however. "I'm just wondering if you've got what it takes there." She pointed at her friend's chest, briefly uncrossing her arms to do so, poking right where her heart would be. "Or rather, if you can control it enough to handle that kind of training – or that way of the ninja." She crossed her arms back, but her face was soft. She looked a lot more concerned than accusing, even though inside she was burning with jealousy from learning that her friend would study under the Hokage herself. _She would have learned that one day or another, anyway. It's better she knows herself before anyway. Plus, if I keep boasting her skills, billboard-brow will grow a bigger head than now… _

Her friend's words had struck a very sensible string, and Sakura's resolve practically shattered on the spot. She was right. Sure, it was one thing to have to cold-heartedly – or less cold-heartedly – kill an opponent ninja in battle. But it took a whole lot more courage and determination to try and save people's lives with one's skills. Watching her friend's reaction, Ino determined that she may have had gone a bit too hard and decided to encourage her a bit. "But I don't doubt one second that you'll succeed. I mean, you're Sakura Haruno, and so far you'll never stop amazing me." She mentally kicked herself for sounding so confident, her attempts at keeping her friend's head to a normal size being negated by her last words, but the look on Sakura's face prevented her from regretting it. _That look of amazement on her face is worth every second of it. She's just **so **cute when you tell her she's better than even she thinks she is._

An comfortable silence felt on the two girls as they both wondered if they should mention Sasuke at all. The occasional shuffling of paper from Tsunade's office as well as Sizune's footsteps could be heard slightly above the noise of their own breaths, and somehow they had come to a quiet mutual agreement to lean back on the wall with their shoulders brushing against each other's. The closeness didn't bother them one bit, it was as natural as the chakra that felt through them, how it resonated when they were together. It was just right. "So…" Ino finally broke in, causing Sakura to turn her head towards her in a slightly startled movement. "You and Naruto are not giving up on Sasuke, huh?" Sakura frowned, not as much at the question than at the lack of the use of "kun" in her undying love's name. Sure, he was gone now, but one day he would come back… Or so she wanted to believe. "What good would I be if I gave up on a friend?" Ino choked slightly as she took in a breath, once again holding her friend's gaze with her own, as if to look deep inside her soul. "A friend…" she said, putting a disturbing emphasis on that word. "… who, despite all you've done for him, all the trust you put in him, left of his own will for the enemy's camp with no afterthought, and broke your heart while he was at it?"

Sakura, despite her leaning on the wall, recoiled at those words, causing her body to twist and her legs to buckle under her, her butt hitting the ground in a comical thud as she barely managed not to splatter on the floor totally. Ino followed her, sitting against the wall in a much more gracious move, flashing an apologetic smile at the pink haired girl. "I'm sorry Sakura, but **I **can't forgive that prick for hurting you, And if he **does** come back to Konoha, there'll be one pretty angry Ino Yamanaka waiting for him. Uchiha or not, I'll find a way to make him pay." The young kunoichi from team seven tried her best to hold back the tears that once again threatened to fall down her face. She was torn between the renewed care of her lost best friend, and the deep love she still undoubtedly felt for the Uchiha survivor. Ino saw the pain in her friend's eyes and put her hand on Sakura's shoulder. "You know, you can let it all go with me. Cry if it makes you feel better." She tried to comfort the girl now sobbing next to her. The sight alone made her heart tighten, and she nearly flinched as if she had shared Sakura's pain right then. "I… I love him, Ino." Sakura managed between growing sobs, before throwing herself in her friend's arms. Ino held her, occasionally soothing her back, whispering "it's okay." and running her fingers through pink, silky and smooth hair. She would've been annoyed of all the weeping already, normally. But whenever she was around Sakura, something in her softened, and her usual arrogance left her. It made her feel somehow helpless and safe at the same time. And the simple thought of being able to protect her friend made it all worthwhile.

They both headed to Ino's place a few minutes later, the blonde promptly inviting her friend to stay over for the night, the pink haired girl accepting without any second thought. It had been a moody sleepover, and in the end Ino had been holding Sakura for quite some time, until she fell asleep. They were in a half-sitting position, not too uncomfortable, but pretty awkward as well. Ino wondered if she could get out of Sakura's grasp on her without waking the girl up, but the simple sight of those small hands holding onto her clothes told her she wouldn't get out that easily. And she had finally resigned herself to staying there, watching Sakura's peaceful – _and cute _ she thought – face until she herself fell asleep.

She awoke the next morning in a laid down position on the couch they had been sitting on together, covered by a blanket which surprisingly still carried Sakura's scent. But the other girl wasn't there anymore. Startled by the absence of the other body, Ino stood up in a sharp intake of breath, looking around in panic. "Sakura?" she asked tentatively, wondering if, maybe, waking up in her arms would've freaked her friend out. "She left early this morning, said she had training, didn't want to wake you up." Ino's mother said, entering the living room as if on cue. "Oh, yeah. Training…" Ino trailed off, blinking a few times to adjust to the light. Her mother had leant back on the wall and was giving her an inquiring look. Feeling the stare on her, Ino frowned and nearly shouted. "What?" This made her mother chuckle. "I'm glad you two made up." Ino rolled her eyes, catching the not-so-subtle hint her mother was giving her on her own ways of living. "Oh please mom. I know she's all smart and nice, and stuff, but it's not like I'm going to be like her from day to day. Duh!" This only made her mother grin and chuckle more, and that made Ino even more irritated. "What?!?" Ino repeated, crossing her arms in front of her chest in what she wanted to look like a threatening move. Mrs Yamanaka simply pointed at her daughter's crinkled clothes and messy hair, causing Ino to become self-conscious all of a sudden. "Out of all the friends you have, she's the only one you'd ever allow yourself to look like **that** around." A shadow of indignation crept on Ino's face as she reacted to her mother's teasing about her morning looks. But that woman didn't relent. "And I haven't seen you sleep so peacefully since you left the ninja academy." She added. Ino freaked. "You watch me **sleep** constantly? For Hokage's sake I'm not five anymore!" Then the whole innuendo hit her and she softened, finally understanding what her mother had been getting at. "Yeah, it's good to have her back around, I guess." Feeling that it was safe to talk again, Ino's mother smirked before adding her final touch to the conversation. "Oh, I shouldn't tell you that, but Sakura said you weren't as good as Sasuke-kun last night." Ino's eyes turned into black holes and her face's color shifted to beet red as she finally exploded. "What the **fuck?!? **Mom! Eww! Yuck! This is **sooo** disturbing. You're sick!" she shouted, taking a run up the stairs that led to her room. Just as she was about to turn into her room, she peeked down, and when she saw her mother watching her intently, this enormous grin plastered on her face, she couldn't help but go back one step and yell louder. "SICK!!" And she then disappeared in her room. Now laughing out loud, her mother had trouble saying what she was supposed to say all along. "Breakfast is ready sweetheart. So come down once you've changed!"

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The days that had passed afterwards all felt the same. Sakura would be training hard all day, and just gone home to sleep afterwards. Too tired to even care that her best friend was worried about her. Ino had tried her best to focus during training, first with Asuma alone, until Shikamaru tagged along with them once more. But the whole lack of evolution, in seemingly everything, was weighting down on her, much more than she wanted to admit. She had gone to see Chouji quite a few times, and even him was apparently not getting much better himself. She kept bringing him flowers, and occasionally left a few ones to Naruto, worried that Sakura hadn't had the time to care about him either, but apparently the pink haired kunoichi visited him nearly every day, to tell him about her progress, or how hard Tsunade was on her. And so she kept informed on her friend through the blond haired Genin, who got better by the hour it seemed. But something was still off, and she could feel it.

Then came the day he had somehow dreaded himself. As Ino walked in the room, he got up from his bed, his eternal orange jumpsuit back on much to Ino's disappointment. Although she was happy to see him doing better. He had smiled faintly and walked slightly past Ino, before turning back. "I'm glad you came to see me today." He had nearly whispered, pointing to the flowers Ino still held in her hands. "You're leaving?" she had simply asked, knowing that it was all too true. "Yeah, the training calls!" His usual grin was back on his face for a moment, before he returned to the gloomier mood he had worn just moments earlier. "Good luck." Ino had said, not trusting herself to look back at him just yet. Sure, Naruto was loud, obnoxious and totally oblivious to the fact he wasn't all that fun to hang around. But she had grown accustomed to the strange warmth being around him brought to her. He was a very special person, no doubt about that. He had nodded, the shuffling of his clothes a proof of his acknowledgment. "Please, take care of Sakura-chan while I'm gone." It was a simple request, but it meant so much at the same time that Ino couldn't refrain from looking Naruto in the eye. "I will." He nodded once, holding her gaze solemnly for a split second, and then a victorious grin ate up all the seriousness of his face as he turned to do the infamous "nice guy pose" to Ino, his thumb almost sparkling in the sunlight slipping into the hospital room. "I'll come back much stronger and with loads of new jutsu to show off! Just you wait!"

And Ino smiled. She thought about Sakura and marvelled at how similar her and Naruto were in the end – always struggling to get stronger, and to be noticed. And as he walked out of the room, she glanced at the flowers in her hand and decided she would come back to take Sakura home that night. They had a lot of catching up to do.

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**AN: **Well, one week ain't too bad for a second chapter to come back considering my usual updating speed. Plus, this one nearly has 3000 words from what i checked on Word earlier. My firewall gave me trouble with uploading it though, but nothing I can't deal with ) I'm glad some people at least checked my first chapter, over 100 hits in a week sounds good enough for a starter like me (plus my first few chapters are always boring cuz of the way I try to set everything up so tight and stuff). I have one person who added me to their author alerts (Yay!) as well as a review, so I'm really happy, but I'd be even more if I had more reviews (hint hint)

Somehow FF erased the second part of my authors notes, but well... I'm sorry for the lack of action, it's gonna start next chapter - along with the second chuunin exam! So stay tuned, and if you liked my story, feel free to leave a review, as small as it is, I appreciate them anyway!


	3. Chapter 3 : Disconnected  Out of Touch

**AN: **It's not often that i put my notes at the top, but because this is such a miracle that I came up with this update 1- during the day, 2- in less than a day, so I thought that it was something to celebrate. Also, I intended to start the chuunin exam here, but realized there would be a hole if I tried starting it too soon, so it'll begin next update after all (and that one won't come before next week, at the very least. I'm a busy person). I wasn't expecting to get Ino and Saku all that close so fast, but then again, I'm riding the wave of inspiration, and i'm still not quite sure where that'll lead me.**  
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Just in case someone would be wondering, I take my chapter titles from Trapt songs. Somehow the first two chapters had very resembling titles as some of their songs, so I decided to keep the theme. I doubt I'll run out of songs before I'm done with this, so do not fear. Just because I like giving away slight spoilers in hopes that'll get you hooked, the next chapter will be called Headstrong. And there'll definitely be a whole lot more action.

On another note, don't be afraid to leave reviews, I don't bite! In fact, I become nicer the more I have! haha. Oh, and i don't plan on using footnotes often, but I just wanted to show i wasn't totally getting the OC character names out of my sleeve. I found a neat english/japanese dictionary to help me through it! Oh, and no cliffhanger yet! I should be praised for that, nayh? Ah yeah, I always manage to throw in a weird talkin' guy in every story I write, please forgive me if Dasane's annoying you. He shouldn't get that many lines after this, anyway.

Okay enuf of this, let's get on with the show.

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Chapter 3: Disconnected – Out of Touch **

Ino had gathered fresh, new flowers in a pretty bouquet, not quite thinking about what she was doing until she was done. The result was nice, she thought, and took note of the arrangement for later uses for customers of the flower shop, but something was off. _Wait, I am offering flowers to Sakura? _She stood still for a minute, staring at the flowers in disbelief – the sun slowly setting in the background; it was getting late. A rather surprised voice jerked her out of her thinking and as soon as she recognized it she hid the bouquet in her back, hoping to not be questioned about it. "Ino? What are you doing here so late?" She smiled at Sakura, taking a step closer to the worn out girl. "I came to see you, miss avoidy." She simply said, winking at the same time. "I haven't been avoiding you!" Sakura replied, defensive. "I just haven't had the time to do anything besides training and sleeping." Ino chuckled. "Yep, that's avoidy in my book." She shifted uncomfortably, the bouquet in her hand slowly slipping from her grip as her hand turned moist. _What's getting to me tonight? _Ino wondered as she renewed her grip on the bundle of flowers, hoping the move went unnoticed by Sakura. "What's that in your back?"

She suddenly blushed, unable to utter a word, staring Sakura up and down as if she would find something to say in her clothes. _Think Yamanaka, think… _"Uh, that's nothing, really." _Smooth, that'll make her even more curious. _"Flowers?" Sakura asked, an eyebrow raised. Ino smiled sheepishly as her body presented Sakura the flowers without her own consent. _Shit. _She kicked herself mentally for being so stupid. "For me?" was Sakura's incredulous reply. If she hadn't been freaked out by waking up next to Ino that morning a few weeks ago, that would definitely do the trick. "I uh… I wanted to give them to Naruto, but he left so… I just re-arranged them and thought about you… and yeah. For you. You deserve them for working so hard." To the blonde's surprise, Sakura took the flowers and shifted her gaze between them and Ino for a moment. "They're beautiful." She finally said, a smile forming on her lips. Ino smiled back, wondering if the pink haired kunoichi really meant it, or just wanted to sound nice to avoid any arguing. "Thank you." Sakura added, suddenly realizing just how much she had neglected her friend the past few weeks. But training obliged, right?

"What are you doing tonight?" Ino asked, expecting an answer like "Training." And getting it just as she thought she would. She shook her head slightly. "Oh no, no training tonight." Sakura's eyes widened. "B-but I **have** to." She said half-heartedly. The prospect of taking a night off was appealing, but she remembered why she was doing the training, and knew if she let down any bit she would regret it. "No, you don't. You have to rest a bit, otherwise you'll die of exhaustion, Sakura." Ino's voice carried a very concerned tone, like that day when she had walked out of Tsunade's office. She was about to get Sakura into yet another of these girly-mushy talks and she couldn't afford it. "I'm fine." She said, her voice betraying her, just as much as her sore and darkened eyes, and the twitch in her arms from malaxing so much chakra. "Do I look like I'm blind?" Ino replied, watching Sakura drop her hands to her sides, the bouquet nearly slipping out of the girl's grip before she caught it in an impressive show of lightning reflexes. The girl then bowed her head in shame, and Ino couldn't resist to take a step forward to put both her hands on the shivering shoulders in a comforting gesture. "You're coming with me, like it or not. First we'll get you showered and into clean clothes." She pointed at her friend's battered outfit. "Then we eat a nice warm meal." She smiled and squeezed the shoulders under her palms slightly as Sakura's features softened into a sort of submission. "And then you and me have to speak about something." At these words, Sakura shot her head to the right, averting her gaze from her friend's eyes and her whole being started protesting again. "No." she simply whispered, still not looking at Ino, barely allowing the hands to stay where they were. "Tss." Ino scowled, walking yet a step closer to Sakura, using her current head's position at her advantage by putting her lips close to the girl's ear before whispering. "You don't even know what I want to talk about." And that's when the images that had crossed her mind that morning, due to her mother's teasing, came back to her mind. She quickly took a step back, blinking once as if to chase the memory out of her mind, instantly letting go of her friend's shoulders.

Sakura whimpered. She didn't know how the sound had escaped her throat, nor why, but the horrified look on Ino's face, although it had lasted just a second, told her it wasn't a welcome sound at the moment. _What's wrong with me today? _They had thought in unison, however totally oblivious to that fact. A flash of light passing by dismissed the thoughts instantly. What in the world was going wrong this time?

Sakura let out another whimper, a scared one this time, as a kunai found it's way to her throat in less time than she could manage to react. The fine point of the weapon pressed against her skin sent a cold shiver through her body, just as her mind raced to understand who in the world would manage to get into Konoha and attack her in the open like that. "Put that down, Izlude." A voice came from behind her, calm and commanding. Ino had froze in place, her own inability to even detect the presence of their assailants eating at her as she braced herself for an all-out attack, already planning the demise of the men – because they could only be men judging by their scent, that had attacked her and Sakura. The one apparently named Izlude smirked, but didn't let go of Sakura one bit, and the voice repeated itself. "Put. That. Down. Izlude." The man sighed and let go of Sakura as two other figures walked out of the shadows. In the dark, the carvings on their headbands – that none of them wore on their forehead – was faded out by the reflection of the night lights on them, but they weren't from Konoha.

The one named Izlude was pretty short, and apparently really slim too, despite the fact he wore a large, dark hooded cape, held around his shoulders by a forehead protector plate. He didn't seem to be wearing much underneath the cape, except for two oversized gauntlets, tight shorts and a belt that hung around his waist diagonally, holding what seemed like a weird blade in his back, the strange shape of it showing through the thick material of his over-garment. Under his hood he wore some eye protection device, and a hint of silver hair glistened in the moonlight, giving him a very gloomy appearance. He stood to one side of the one who had talked, as the other one smirked at them. He wore a large bandana which held back bright yellow shaggy hair, sharp canines showing through his lips as an evil look crossed his face. He sported a very small vest over his naked and well toned chest, his forehead protector pinned on top of his left shoulder. A long plated glove covered his right arm up to the elbow, and he also wore baggy pants very low on his waist, of a color just as flashy as his own hair. In his back was the evidence of a heavy hammer, holding there by his sheer chakra it seemed.

The last one was different, his face showing no sign of emotion, neither evil or good. His presence somehow felt like Sasuke's, he wasn't tall nor small, and his nose was crinkled in a sort of superior look. He had a laid back stance, a dark sports jacket with long striped sleeves open to reveal yet another very muscled chest, wore straight light shorts, his headband wrapped around his right thigh, his' being the only one that cleared showed their village's insignia: something that looked like the head of an eagle. His air was particularly spiked – and dark, and he had two glowing blue triangles side to side drawn under his left eye. But the most particular feature of the guy was his glacial blue eyes, that were directed on Sakura. "I am sorry for the trouble." He said, his voice hollow and untrusting.

Ino had moved closer to Sakura, the pink haired girl still shaken by how close she had gotten to being killed, just like that, in the middle of her own village. "What are you guys doing here at this time? The chuunin exam is only in a month from now!" she said, louder than she had intended. These guys didn't look like genins, but then again, who knew. It was the only reason she could see for them being allowed to enter Konoha in such troubled times. "Um, right." The middle guy said thoughtfully, as the one on the right took a step forward. "None of ye' business ma'am!" The one named Izlude simply grunted in approval, completing the trio's very weird portrait. "Oh but it is our business, this is our village and as Konoha shinobis, our duty is to protect it from intruders." Came a familiar voice from behind the two girls. Shikamaru walked out of the shadows as if on cue, his usual bored expression plastered on his face. Asuma followed him a few steps behind – the owner of the voice, his chakra blade in hand and purposefully glowing. And to Ino's surprise, a fairly well looking Chouji – she guessed by the fact he was holding a bag of chips and munching at them – appeared not far behind them. "So now you'll have to answer our questions, otherwise you'll be arrested right away."

"Sure." Came the group leader's reply, as he took a step forward. "But release the Kagemane No Jutsu first." Shikamaru's eyes grew wide as he realized that even if he now held the two other ninja's, the middle one seemed totally immune to his manipulation technique. Asuma waved at him as if to say "do it" and he broke it, instantly re-analyzing the situation in his mind. This wasn't looking good. "Who are you?" team ten's sensei asked, not letting his guard down one second. Izlude turned to his team leader, flashing the kunai in the leaf ninja's direction before the other one shook his head. "We are a genin team from the village of the Hawk. The one on my left." He pointed to the small cloaked guy. "Is Izlude Asasenkou. (1) And to my right is Hanmaru (2) Dasane." The mention of these names made Asuma frown, much to the dismay of his team members, and Sakura. "I thought the Hawk village disappeared, years ago." The last one that remained unnamed nodded once. "I am Iketetsomaru Ematai." That was enough surprise for Asuma to drop his cigarette from his mouth, his jaw hanging low as he tried to regain his composure. "**The** Ematai?" Shikamaru asked, glancing at his sensei sideways. "Pff, ye didn't think that blasting tha' huge hole in Takamura (3) would kill us all, nayh?" Dasane said, holding his hand up in dismissal of the fun thoughts that seemed to cross his mind. The other three ninjas frowned, neither of them had any knowledge of these events.

"Actually." Asuma said, returning Shikamaru's glance. "He's not the one you think of." The Nara kid raised an eyebrow. "Koroi-su Ematai was my father." Came Iketetsomaru's reply, no hint of emotion showing in his voice. "And that old man is as dead as I'm standin' right her'in yer face!" Dasane had once again taken the right of speech, and his leader nodded to him to let him continue. "We're here cuz Takamura wants to make allies of Konoha now that them troubles are over. Tis' why we came early. We request an audience with Hokage-sama as soon's possible to determine da clauses of our alliance, so everythin' can be concluded before da chuunin exam takes place." Asuma frowned, and Iketetsomaru immediately noticed it. "Once again I am sorry about Izlude's behaviour." "The kid loves playing a tad too much fer his own good, y'know. He's bad for diplomatic issues, but he was the only nin capable of doing the travel back and forth from Konoha to Taka in the given delay." Dasane added, shooting a disapproving glance to the smaller man. The hooded ninja slightly bowed, sighing once more, before uttering, in a surprisingly clear voice. "Sorry."

Just as he said that, Sakura's legs suddenly gave out under her as she collapsed, right into Ino's alert arms. The blond girl thanked the gods for her quick reflexes as she struggled to put her friend into an upright, easier to maintain position, but it was to no use. Sakura was pretty much out of it, here eyes remaining open by pure pride. She wanted to lay down and sleep, right here, right now. And what was happening around her had little importance right then. Especially since she was slumped into these oh-so-comfy and warm arms, her head leaning on her friend's pretty nice chest, the air she breathed saturated by the smell of Ino's sweat, probably amplified by the fear of a fight. But then she felt the world slipping away, the bouquet thumping to the ground, and the last thing she heard was her name, coming from a worried Ino, a friend of hers, she thought, feeling safe despite the situation they were in. Then it all went blank.

"Ha, this is the leaf shinobi? A woman that faints at the simple sound of Izzy's voice, a slacker, a chip-eating glutton, a fashion model and a sugar daddy? Lemme laugh!" Dasane never saw Iketetsomaru's hand as he slapped the back of his head, hard enough to make him lose his footing for a second. At this right moment, everyone – that was awake – could've sworn they had seen Naruto and Sasuke. And that was weird. "Don't pay much attention to him. He's an idiot." There was a silence, then Asuma picked another cigarette out of it's pack and smiled. "Ino, Shika, bring Sakura home, or somewhere safe. Chouji, go get Tsunade-sama. I'll wait here with Ike and friends." Ino was about to protest when Asuma raised his hand dismissively. "I don't trust them." She finally said. Her sensei grinned more. "Me neither, but somehow I think they have no intention of hurting anyone now. Else they die trying." And he was right. The perimeter was now surrounded by members of Anbu. Well it was about time.

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Shikamaru had had the brilliant idea to control Sakura with his shadow techniques so Ino didn't have to carry her up to her place. Sakura lived on the other end of the village and that was too much to ask the poor Nara boy. The pink haired kunoichi stirred not too long after Ino sat her down on the couch in the living room, but it took her a while to take in her surroundings and realize what had just happened. Or had happened a long time ago, she wasn't sure. "Ino?" That startled the blond haired girl who had been busy preparing that nice and warm meal she had been talking about. "Just a minute Sakura!" she said, making sure nothing was going to burn while she was taking the walk to the living room. "Need something?" Sakura stretched and yawned at the same time, then looked at her friend. "How long have I been sleeping?" she asked, afraid of hearing the truth, somehow. "Meh, not even an hour. Dinner's almost ready, forehead. So be a good little girl and go wash your hands." Sakura obeyed without a word, much to Ino's surprise. When had her friend become so submissive anyway? She shrugged it off and went back to her meal preparation, the smell of it slowly filling the house.

"This looks yummy." Sakura said watching the plate being placed in front of her by Ino. She smiled and sat across from her, showing a pretty proud smile. "Of course, I made it!" Sakura chuckled and ate. It was good indeed, especially since she had seemed to not eat all that much these past few days. Ino didn't have that much of an appetite at the moment, and she spent more time watching Sakura than eating. And finally, when she couldn't bear it anymore, she asked her the question that burned her lips. "Are you okay?" _Not that again… _ Sakura thought, unable to hold back a sigh. It didn't go unnoticed by Ino. "You shouldn't work that hard, seriously. You'll end up killing yourself at it, and you'll be just as useless as you don't want to be." Sakura swallowed a chunk of meat hard, the noise being the last thing they heard for quite a while. They ate silently until Sakura managed to get the words out of her throat. "I'm sorry, Ino." The blond nearly burst out in laughter. "Is that really all you can say these days Sakura? Sorry and thank you?" The pink haired girl stared at her plate in shame. _Please don't say sorry again. _Ino thought. _Otherwise I'm going to have to get up and hit you before I hug you tight… _"I'll be more careful." Ino let out a sigh of relief and smiled at Sakura mischievously. "You better."

The rest of the meal was eventless, and Ino had leant some clothes to Sakura so she could take a shower and feel clean for once. Then they had sat on Ino's bed and just talked, about training, about life, the past and the future, and stupid stuff they wouldn't talk about with anyone else. Something had connected between them, and they could say that now, the bounds that had held them apart were finally really gone. "Didn't you have something important to tell me earlier?" Sakura asked after a few moments of comfortable silence, after Ino had told her about her mother's sick jokes. "Oh, yeah." Ino said, shuddering as she remembered the Taka nins they had met earlier. "Chuunin exam is next month." Sakura looked at her with a questioning look. "Shika is a chuunin now, and we need teams of three to participate. Chouji should be fully back on his feet by then, but we need a third team member." Sakura smiled, relieved that the subject was not one that could make her cry. And she had to admit, it was also pretty good for her ego to be asked rather than having to beg her friend for the empty spot. "Who do you think I should ask?" Ino said, trying to sound as serious as she could, noting the face her friend was making. And Sakura believed it for a second. "Me, maybe?" the frustrated girl said, not quite understanding how her friend could be so mean. Ino simply laughed. "Of course, stupid. It was out of the question to ask anyone but you." She said, poking the tip of her friend's nose, their face coming inches apart in the motion. For a moment they didn't move, simply looking at each other as if it was the first time they saw that face from so close – which it probably was, anyway. Then, it seemed like the heat rose constantly, as they slowly blushed, still not quite daring to move. _What's going on? _A voice in Sakura's head said, breaking the atmosphere even before anyone could interrupt it. No, Ino hadn't heard the voice, but something was all of a sudden amiss, and the magic/spell/curse, whatever it was, broke. They both turned their heads away at the same time, but their bodies still touched and just like this, it started to feel overly uncomfortable. Ino got up nervously, searching for something to say to break the tension, wishing her mother would show up, make a stupid joke, and it would all be forgotten. _Not likely to happen. _She reminded herself. "You… you wanna go home or you want to stay here? I'll leave you the bed, I'll sleep on the couch, I don't care, you need the rest more than me, anyway. Oh…" Ino remembered what she had told Chouji to mention to Tsunade-sama as he had gone to fetch her. "And no training tomorrow. Tsunade was already told that you weren't feeling well. I want to be able to find you tomorrow morning. InoSakuCho have to do a preliminary chuunin exam meeting, too." She smiled, the awkwardness had left her just as it had gotten to her, and she wondered for a moment if anything had happened at all. "Okay." A now yawning Sakura answered, too tired to even protest.

Ino nodded and was about to leave the room when Sakura called out to her. "Wait." She turned back, a slight look of annoyance twisting her brows. "Hn?" Sakura thought for a second and decided to drop it, for the moment. "Nah never mind. Good night Ino." Ino smiled at her and turned back to leave before she whispered back. "Good night, Sakura."

------------------------------------foot notes----------------------------------

**(1) **_in Japanese, Asasenkou would mean something like "Morning Flash_"

**_(2) _**_Hanmaru, according to an online dictionary would mean "Hammer Guy" _

**_(3) _**_Takamura : Hawk village, according to said translator again. I don't just make those up! _


	4. Chapter 4 : Headstrong

**Chapter 4 : Headstrong**

A feint light piercing through a curtained window graced Sakura with the first sun rays as she slowly stirred and stretched, welcoming the new day, just as if nothing had happened the day before at all. She smiled to herself, ruffling her own hair to keep it from sticking in her face, and promptly threw her legs over the side of the bed, only now realizing that this **wasn't **her bedroom. _But that bed was comfy, it felt like… I was sleeping with Ino right by my side. _She shook her head, blinking a few times to chase what was left of the sleepiness, the events of yesterday emerging in her mind just like that Izlude guy had emerged from the darkness. She suppressed a shiver, the memory of the kunai on her throat quite vivid in her mind. But it was over, and she was alive. Plus Ino had told her no one was hurt, so there was no use worrying about this anymore, right?

She got to her feet and stretched yet again, wondering if her friend was still asleep downstairs. She considered trying to sneak out to go train for a second, and then dismissed the thought. If she disobeyed Ino's orders, she would be in deep trouble. Ino. Her friend had showed her so much care and… well love, although friendly love, lately, and all she had managed to do was ditch her for training and training more as if getting stronger was all that mattered to her._It **was** all that mattered to me lately. I'm so stupid._ She thought, as she tried to figure a way of thanking her friend for what she had done. She looked around the room for a moment, as if looking at Ino's things would give her an idea. _I still can't believe she offered me flowers, though. That was thoughtful – and weird. _And she was surprised at how warm she felt, how that unusual attention made her feel _special._ _And I got just the thing for a special friend in such a beautiful morning! _Sakura said to herself, smirking at her great idea.

Sakura tiptoed her way down the stairs, fully aware that Ino was a light sleeper. She had had trouble getting up without waking her up last time, and every other time they had slept in the same house. It was a good thing that her parents were gone on a mission, Sakura thought, as she didn't have to be embarrassed about what she was about to do. The sleeping form on the couch caught her attention as she passed by it in the living room. Ino had a peaceful look on her face, her eyes fluttering lightly, meaning she was probably dreaming. _I wonder what she's dreaming of… _Sakura thought as she observed her friend for a minute or two before resuming to her previous task: preparing breakfast. Smiling, she made her way to the kitchen, her feet shuffling ever so slightly on the carpet as she went by.

It didn't take too long for the smell of eggs, bacon and potatoes to fill the house, tingling at Ino's nostrils. Her unconscious mind wondered for a moment if it was a dream, but it just felt too real to be imaginary. Her assumptions were confirmed when she slowly opened her eyes, with surprising ease despite the sunlight shining down on her. _Wow, I don't think I ever slept **that **well. But who's preparing breakfast? _She stretched lazily, yawning at the same time. The couch had left her sore despite how good she felt… And as the events had led her to sleep on the couch last night came back to her she finally understood who was in her kitchen. "Sakura-chan?" The silhouette of her friend appeared in the frame of the kitchen door just as her name was pronounced. "Your timing is perfect for breakfast, Ino-**chan**!" Sakura replied, mockingly putting emphasis on the affectionate suffix. A slight blush crept on Ino's face, but Sakura was too busy with her own mind to notice. It was weird to her to hear her name said that way by someone other than Naruto, but it felt good at the same time. And her smile just grew in brightness as Ino stared down at her, now totally dumbfounded. "**You** made breakfast?!" Sakura giggled. "'Least I could do." She said, sincerely.

Ino had jumped to her feet and in one single leap had landed near Sakura and caught her in a vigorous embrace. At first, the unsuspecting girl frowned, wondering what was **so **nice about making breakfast that she deserved this kind of attention, and then she just decided to push the thoughts and questions aside and enjoy the moment. Ino's weird attitude would be easier to discuss with a full stomach, anyway. "I should do this more often." She joked, hugging the blonde back. "Do what?" Ino asked, pulling back slightly, her eyes meeting Sakura's. "Make you happy."

The heart-warming smile she got from the young blonde at that moment, she would've traded for nothing in the world. Not even Sasuke. It seemed to light Ino's face with a soft, eerie glow that was just plain endearing, and Sakura found herself getting lost(_oxymoron intended_) in the sparkling ocean that was her friend's eyes. Ino's feet weren't touching ground either. She was in a state she could only describe as bliss – even though she couldn't figure it out – she didn't give a damn why. Something had changed in her friend overnight. Something had changed between them in the past few weeks. They had been bitter rivals, then almost friends, but still fighting over Sasuke… and then things had just… changed. Maybe Sakura finally understood what it meant to have a _real best friend_, what it meant to mean so much to someone else? _No wonder I added the 'chan' when I called her._

They would have stayed that way for eternity, if the incessant beeping of the smoke detector and the smell of burned potatoes hadn't filled the air. "Oh my god!" Sakura screamed, running to the kitchen to find a smoking bunch of, fortunately enough, not completely burned, roasted potatoes. Ino rushed to her side, only to find the pink haired girl already pouring smoking hot, tasty looking food on clean plates. "Let me help you with that." She said, tentatively reaching for a spatula and the frying pan in which the eggs were waiting, only to get her hands slapped away. "Cha! You let me handle this. Just go sit and wait like a good little girl." Sakura said in a very authoritative tone, much to Ino's dismay. "Hai." She said, half reluctantly before sitting at the table that had been previously laid out, perfectly. _Well what's new I'm letting her boss me around like my mother now… I don't get it, this feels so right, and so weird at the same time._

They had only taken a few bites when Ino decided she was taking the plunge and letting her confusion out. "Sakura, I think we need to talk." The other girl swallowed her bite and nodded in silence. "So…" Ino trailed off, her courage had left her just as quick as it had reached her. Paired with the fact that she had no clue what all she had wanted to say… "You okay, Ino?" Sakura asked, frowning slightly in concern. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, yes. Gah!" Ino looked at her plate, bringing her hand up to rub at eyebrow, desperately searching for the correct words to put her feeling down. "D-did I do something wrong?" Sakura worried. "No!" Ino instantly reacted, her voice harsh against her own will. "No, it's all fine, it couldn't be better, really!" she added, softly. "Then what's wrong." The blond sighed. "Don't you feel like I've been acting weird lately?" Sakura looked thoughtful for a moment. "You've been overly nice, and very patient with me. I keep thinking I don't deserve all the attention and you keep telling me I do… " "Yeah, that…" The pink haired girl frowned. "Oh but you**do** deserve that attention… " Ino quickly added.

Sakura was surprised that Ino had thought about mentioning the same thing she did, but was also utterly confused by what her friend was blabbering about – or what she wasn't saying actually. "Um… You mean like all those moments that we just..." "…freeze and lose track of time and space." Ino completed her friend. Sakura nodded, they definitely were on the same frequency that morning. "Maybe it's just cuz, y'know, it'd been so long since we spent time together." That was the only plausible explanation that came to Sakura's mind at the moment, and Ino seemed to accept it. "Maybe you're right. I really did miss having you around." They both smiled shyly, quietly resuming breakfast and the task of eating. "I'm glad it's over." Sakura said between to mouthfuls. "What's over?" Ino asked, eyeing her friend strangely. "The whole rivality business." "Ha, let me remind you **you **started it!" Ino scowled. "One of my many mistakes." Sakura deadpanned, getting up to put her empty plate in the sink. "We all make mistakes." Her friend reassured her, getting up as well and already planning their very busy day together.

They didn't talk about it again that day. In fact, the awkward moments basically seemed just to fade away, as if Sakura's answer was the right one, that now that they accepted the whole ,we are friends again' thing, everything was just… perfect. There had been a meeting with Asuma, Chouji and Shikamaru, where they discussed strategies for the upcoming chuunin exam. Having an idea what the challenge would look like was definitely an advantage.

"So, I'll trust Sakura with the written exam. " Ino had said, confidently. "Once she's done answering, she'll just give me a signal, I'll take her body for a minute, go over the answers, go back to my body, fill my own sheet and then do Chouji's!" Sakura had chuckled. "Naruto passed with a blank sheet last time." And to that, Asuma shook his head. "They don't use the same examinator twice in a row. Be prepared to different questions, and probably different means of pressure." And to that, Shikamaru only nodded. "I guess we ready for anything with Pinkie and Blondie." Chouji muttered between two mouthfuls of chips, immediately hoping he hadn't been heard. He was almost happy when all he got from his newly updated team was heated glares, and a sigh coming from Shikamaru.

"What's wrong, Shika?" Ino asked, noting that his expression was gloomy, compared to his usual lack of concern for things. "These three Taka nins, they're bothersome. Especially the one that got out of the Kagemane so easily." Asuma chewed thoughtfully on his cigarette for a moment. "If you come across those guys in the forest of Death…" he had said, being immediately interrupted by Ino. "You don't expect us to run away like cowards, do you?" Sakura shot a worried glance at her friend, and Asuma noticed it. "Shika won't be there. Sakura's the new mind of the team. Like it or not, you'll have to listen to her Ino."

The two girls exchanged glances, one side perplexed, the other shining with pride. Sakura definitely liked the new arrangement, although she assumed it would feel weird to be the decision base of an action team. She had always stayed in the background, merely obeying Sasuke's wise orders, or Naruto's wild unpredictable spirit. "Sakura." Asuma said softly, shaking the pink haired girl out of her thoughts. "Hai?"

"I trust you'll make the right decisions if you have to. I spoke to Tsunade. You'll be training with us a day out of three until the exam." Ino couldn't take it much more. "What the hell?! How come **she** gets to be the leader when she's the new one in the team?" Asuma laughed while Shikamaru shook his head. "Because I know what I'm doing." He said with a wink to Chouji. The Akimichi boy merely put another chip in his mouth in answer, glad that the attention wasn't on him anymore. Ino sighed, but not in defeat. There was **no way** she'd let Sakura run **her** team that easily. And they had trained in that spirit, sparring in a friendly – yet almost deadly – way, reviewing attack tactics and devising plans depending on different situations with Shikamaru's help. All the way, Chouji found himself left behind by the incredible display of combativity of his two female teammates, and had finally given in to it himself, making the team all the more effective. In a three on two against Asuma and Shikamaru's well-planned strategy, they had prevailed almost too easily.

Sakura was slowly getting the hang of the basics of medic ninjutsu, but the use of so much chakra around her hands was hard, often leaving her fingers swollen, and her palms literally burned. And during their last day of training before the exam, she had found herself dropping her kunai or throwing her shurikens awkwardly, earning worried frowns from both Asuma and Ino. But she had said she was perfectly fine and that it would all be better the next day. She sure hoped so.

That night she was absently wandered around her home, not really noticing that the weather was getting bad outside, just reviewing some basic stuff in her mind – over and over again, much to her mother's dismay. "You should rest Sakura, otherwise it won't be good for you during the exam." Sakura grunted, her mother was right, but she still didn't feel like she was ready. Her poor performance at training earlier had really done her confidence in. "Mom, their sensei put me in charge of the thinking in the team, Kakashi's counting on me, I'm sure Naruto's worried out there, and I have to get better and stronger if I want to be able to bring Sasuke-kun back! If I relent now I…" She was abruptly cut by her father who had walked in on the scene. "You'll fail if you keep working yourself so hard." He simply stated. He then glared at his daughter. "And failure is **not **an option."

The atmosphere was suddenly tense, as all noises in the house seemed to stop. Sakura's breath had caught in her throat and she was unable to turn her eyes away from her father's iron stare. Mrs. Haruno was watching in acceptation that she couldn't do anything, that she just had to let her husband pass his frustration instead of fuelling his anger. He was a bitter man, because of his own failure as a ninja in his young days. And somewhere deep down, all he wanted was for his daughter to succeed where he had failed. His intentions were not to hurt her or scare her. It was his way of showing that he cared, no matter how scary it was.

Sakura finally blinked, unable to hold under the pressure anymore. If she angered him with her usual arguments, she would not get away from it without some kind of consequence - but she wanted out. He however didn't let her go, his face stern and focused. At a loss for words that would put his mind at peace, she simply prayed that someone would interrupt them before things got worse. Needless to say, she was still surprised when a knock at the door shattered the silence that had settled in the kitchen.

Her mother went to get it, and instantly yelled at her "Sakura I think it's for you!" _I'm glad you would've said that even if it wasn't for me. _She made a mental note to thank her mother later, as well as anyone who would be at the door. Turned out that 'anyone' was a freezing, dirty and soaked to the bone Ino. Sakura's mother had told her to get inside, and she was just standing on the carpet, dripping wet, apparently eager despite her looks. "Ino? What happened to you?" Sakura asked, stepping closer to her friend and noting that, without her own sandals on, the blond girl was now one or two inches taller than her. _Man she's growing up quick._ A grin formed on Ino's face as she reached behind her head to squeeze a bit of water out of her ponytail. "I came to see you, forehead!" she said in a mocking tone, her smile showing her white teeth. "Didn't expect such a bad weather, though. Makes me wonder if I'll have to stay overnight." Sakura's mother immediately offered Ino to stay if she wanted to, the other girl's presence being pretty welcome after the tension from earlier. Sakura, as good a host as she was, offered Ino to lend her some clothes and let her take a shower, which the blond girl accepted promptly.

Ino got out of the shower feeling refreshed, and grinned as she remembered what she was there for. Sakura had looked like she needed something nice to boost her morale, and she had found just the thing for that. The slightly too small shirt hugging her body shape maybe a bit too much made her kind of uneasy as she walked out of the bathroom, but Sakura had seen her in worse, she thought. She made her way to the girl's room and entered it without thinking too much, only to stumble on an half-naked Sakura. She instantly turned back and shut the door, but not before noticing that she the pink haired girl was also growing up. _I'm not the only one who's going to have a change of wardrobe. _"You freak!" She heard the muffled scream through the door before it slammed open, showing a beet-red faced Sakura – with anger or shame, Ino couldn't tell. "I'm sorry." Came Ino's pleading reply, she really hadn't intended to take a peek at her friend's breast. _Wait, breast, peek? Gah the weird thinking's back I just saw her changing what's the big deal? _She interrupted her inner babble when she noticed Sakura eyeing her strangely, looking her up and down with a… _she's not drooling is she?_ She was about to backhand Sakura just for the sake of it when their eyes locked. What was she thinking anyway? "Is that payback?" A part of her said, but she wasn't sure she had said it out loud.

Sakura was too dumbstruck to answer. She hadn't expected Ino to walk in her room like that, but that was nothing compared to whatever she was feeling now. Her friend was growing taller, and much more beautiful than her, that she was sure of, and it made her kind of jealous. "Payback for ogling me? Maybe, pig!" She answered, averting her eyes from her friend's. The weird moments were back in force.

Ino put up a mock-hurt look on her face and looked away as well. She had intended to wait for Sakura to talk first when she heard a loud voice coming from the living room. Her questioning look fell on Sakura's distraught face and she decided to leave the arguing to the dump and followed her friend into her room. "You ok?" she scanned Sakura's expression, hoping to find more than just the simple answer to her question. "Thank you." Sakura whispered before throwing herself in Ino's arms, who instinctively pulled her close. "Heh, no problem. Anytime." She answered, trying to sooth the shaking form of the pink haired girl. The angry voice of Mr. Haruno filtering through the door gave her shivers as she forced Sakura to look at her. "What's wrong with him?" Sakura sighed and shook her head. "He's just angry 'cause I said something stupid." Ino sighed in relief. "I was afraid he had gotten violent or something. you know, if he ever does..." Sakura sighed as well. "I'm not a little girl that needs protection anymore, Ino. But thank you."

Ino smiled and thought about her gift; now would be the perfect time for it. "I got something for you. In fact it's the reason why I got all the way here." She reached in her purse and grabbed a pair of leather gloves that she handed to Sakura. They were soft yet strong, in a brownish color that would fit with virtually anything. Around the hem of the right hand glove was wrapped a ribbon, red in color – the ribbon Sakura had worn in the past, that Ino had offered her so long ago. Her eyes watered again, touched by the thought, as she examined the gloves some more, and then tried them on. "It's a special material that will prevent the chakra from burning your hands, it'll also absorb a bit of the impact when you use that super strength punch thing you did the other day." Sakura looked at her hands, flexed them, rolled them into fists, never feeling any restraint from wearing the gloves. It was a perfect fit. "T-thank you Ino. " And she once again wrapped her arms around the girl's neck, for just a moment, showing her gratitude. "Also…" Ino continued, when Sakura let go of her. "After this exam, I'm taking you shopping. We both need to get new clothes, and especially a new combat outfit. That red dress of yours is all battered, and you're seriously growing out of it." She tucked at the shirt she was wearing for emphasis. "Plus, I don't think I still fit in your clothes anymore - and that's a shame." At that comment both girls laughed. The voices had softened and could barely be heard in the living room and that reassured Sakura. "I think we should sleep."

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They woke up to an alarm clock that Sakura promptly stopped as Ino sat up on the mattress they had laid down as a makeshift bed, her eyes heavy with sleep. She glanced to the bed where Sakura's form had resumed her sleeping position, not quite willing to get up just yet. _I bet she would've gotten up if I hadn't been here. Ha, serves her right for playing dumb I'll poke her into getting up._ Ino decided, her finger already poking into the ribs of her friend, who immediately shot up in surprise, losing balance and getting entangled in her sheets, falling over Ino in ehr struggle. _Serves me right for doing that._ "Hey sleepy head…" Sakura looked at her. "Hi." Ino sighed. "Mind getting off me? We have an exam to attend to this morning."

So they both got up, ate breakfast and got ready, leaving early, Sakura bringing her gloves along the rest of her stuff, although she wasn't wearing them. They met up with Chouji about halfway to the exam location, and were then greeted by a sleepy-eyed Shikamaru, a smiling Asuma, an ink-painted face belonging to a very tired Tsunade and a book-reading Kakashi. "You all made it on time, even Kakashi?" Sakura exclaimed, kind of proud that her masked-sensei would show up to send her off to the exam. He smiled at her, then disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "I had to snatch that book out of his hands and threaten to burn it so he would be on time." (_I think I saw this in a fic here, can't recall which one, sorry for borrowing the idea )_ Tsunade muttered before opening her eyes fully and looking Sakura in the eye. "Make me proud." she said, putting her hand on her student's shoulder. The girl nodded and looked to Ino who seemed to have the same kind of talk with her sensei. It didn't last long however, and soon they were sent off to the exam room with a good luck from everyone.

There was a remarkably smaller amount of nins in the room waiting for the exam, probably due to the events that had happened last time. There seemed to be three teams from Sunagakure, two from the mist village, the one from the hawk village as well as two from unknown villages and four from Konoha - including them. All in all, only thirty-six of them for the first challenge, well that was a change. Among the three other teams from Konoha, only one of them was recognizable: Team 8. "Where are Lee, Neji and Tenten?" Sakura asked as she approached Kiba, who just a second ago had seemed in a heated discussion with Shino. "On a mission, they were supposed to be back a while ago but I guess things got complicated. Makes it that much easier for us to snatch the honors." He grinned, a slightly bigger Akamaru running around his feet. "That doesn't mean we can release our guard." Shino said, as thoughtfully as ever. That was the end of the conversation. Hinata shrugged and was about to say something when a loud bang caught everyone's attention.

In the front of the class stood none other than Ebisu, his dark round glasses perched low on his nose as he eyed any and every ninja apprentice with his arrogant eyes. He then pushed his glasses up with two fingers and, now sure that he had everyone's attention, started his little speech. "Welcome everyone to the first part of the chuunin exam. I hope you've come prepared, because I designed it myself, and it's not going to be easy. So don't go thinking that because there's not that many of you, it'll be easier to pass." He cleared his throat, motioning for everyone to sit down, and so everyone did. The teacher continued. "I will explain this only once, so you better keep your dirty ears open and listen carefully. There will be a written test. You can take that test in teams at a booth hidden in the forest around Konoha. Each team has been assigned a booth and a special path to follow, that will be determined by clues that I will give each of you personally before the beginning of the test. You will have to use the clues to get to the booth, where a jounin will be waiting for you. Not only that, but you have to complete everything in less than 5 hours." There were gasps and sighs in the room, followed by an heavy silence. "There are others clues scattered around the forest tfor every team And there are other ninjas that will be wandering about and checking on things. This is an added difficulty: they will be going after you, and have the right to slow you down. They will also make sure that you don't interact with any other team. Remember, your goal is to get to the booth and take the exam, not to prevent others from getting to theirs. Everything will be logged, and the result of the exams paired with the observations on your team will determine if you pass on to the next step. Am I clear?"

Ino, Sakura and Chouji glanced at each other, worry in their eyes. **That** was not planned.

* * *

**AN:** Bleargh! It's frickin smokin' 2:45 AM! I pretty much worked on this update whenever I had free time this week, and just wanted so badly to post it tonight. Thing is, it's no longer tonight, sniff. I love looking at the hits counter raise on my later chapters - that mean people didn't get bored at the first chapter even though some seem to have done so, hehe. well firsthand, I am not really proud with this chapter. At parts the dialogue gets kinda weird... I guess that the fact I wanted to squeeze one month of evolution with the beginning of the chuunin exam just made it all that much harder. 

I also know that I have a writing style that not everyone's used to. That and I still can't seem to master that time span - verb tense thing when I'm making transitions. My dialogues are all bunched up in the same paragraph, and at times this gets weird. But I just don't like having a diff line until it's a very definite dialogue - and they're rarely speaking more than 4 lines in a row, so i don't quite see the point of it - I dunno.

Also, for the information. Yeah, Ino and Sakura **will **end together. But unlike some people that like throwing them into each other's arms, I like to show a _progression_ in their feelings. I mean hellooo these two girls were in love with a guy, I doubt they're going to suddenly turn around and claim high and loud that they're gay. Not the both of them at the same time. Also, I am not the kind of person who will turn the entire Konoha into gays. You're warned (feeling better?) for the rest of the story. You're safe with me, I don't make up whacky couples - no offense meant to anyone.

I also changed the summary - better, worse? And I shifted the genres around - not planning on that much angst, and there's sure to be action with the Taka Team around. I can also say I know how the story will end - but it's the path toward that end that's fun to me. If you do enjoy my story, feel free to provide the super hyper uber feedback to keep me going - and help me get better. On that note, I am now going to bed. But to make up for the fact that I did left the action hanging here, next chapter's title will be **The Game. **Because hey, who can throw a Treasure hunt without some fun in it? (Don't bother with the meaning of the song, haha) 3AM OUT.

Enjoy!


	5. Chapter 5 : The Game

**Chapter 5: The Game**

Three perplexed nins held their clues close to themselves, shooting a worried glance here and there as the other teams did the same. Apparently nobody had prepared for that.

_I am to the forest what the first Hokage was to Konoha._

_I'll reflect the sun during the day, and the moon once the night falls._

.. / .-. . ... - / .- - / - ... . / ..-. .- .-.. .-.. . -. / .-- .- .-. .-. .. --- .-. / - .- -... .-.. . - .-.-.-

Sakura rubbed her temples, knowing full well that ten minutes wouldn't be enough to figure it all out – they'd have to work on it on the way. Ino grinned. "Yours looks like Morse, Chouji."

"And I bet you can decipher it?" Sakura asked, a bit unnerved by the whole thing.

"Of course I can. Gee cool it Sakura, it's not even started yet!" Ino replied, snatching the piece of paper from Chouji's hands and reading it just loud enough for her teammates to hear. "I rest at the Fallen Warrior Tablet." Sakura and Chouji gave her a doubting look, which Ino simply shrugged off. "I don't know what it means." Sakura shook her head, took a deep breath and the idea of taking Shikamaru's pose crossed her mind – but she dismissed it. Now was not the time for humor. "Okay, Chouji, you have a photographic memory. I want you to take note of everything we will come across. Any detail could be helpful for finding our next destination/clue/whatever. Ino." The blond raised an eyebrow in a slightly disinterested manner, causing Sakura's own eye to twitch in exasperation, something in her behavior was just frankly off - or actually, she was too much like the old Ino acted with Sakura. "We may come across traps, or maybe even enemies. You're to keep an eye on everything around us. Chouji will commit stuff to his memory, you're to analyze it."

Ino nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. "And what do **you** do, Mrs. Brain?" Sakura frowned, but pushed her exasperation to the side for the sake of the mission… game… whatever this exam was supposed to be. "I'll analyze our clues and figure out where to go next. Of course you are free to help, if you want." She nearly spat, stepping into Ino and looking her square in the eye. "Just keep your main focus on what I told you, **please**." Ino took a step back, as if the presence of the pink haired kunoichi near her was a curse. "Fine."

_What in the world is going on? _Thought Chouji, who was seriously taken aback by this sudden change in the girl's behavior. He didn't want to butt in, he was just like his best friend, hated all the woman and their drama. But the situation had to be corrected. "Pardon me ladies. This is an exam, not a cat fight. So if you could please keep the bitch act until later…" And to put more strength to his words, he instinctively reached in the crook of his arms, where a bag of chips _usually_ rested. He sighed at the memory that food was _not_ permitted during this exercise, and examined his teammates. Sakura was tense alright, but looked more like a victim in this situation – Ino on the other hand was… different.

"Ino, what's the matter. Did I do something wrong?" Sakura finally asked after a few moments of silence. The blonde looked like she was thinking for a moment and then shrugged. "No, sorry. I didn't mean that. I guess I'm nervous too." She answered sheepishly, before returning to her normal self – or what looked closer to it, anyway.

A throat clearing followed by loud coughing caught everyone's attention. They all turned to see Ebisu doubling over in the mist caused by a smoke bomb he had detonated way too close to himself. Most of the genins had trouble holding in their fits of laughter, and some just sweat dropped at the display of… well they couldn't really put a definition on this very lame apparition of a door. "Everyone." Said a teary-eyed Ebisu, still trying to find his voice. "Leave now." And everyone leaped off through the door in less than thirty seconds, leaving the elite teacher to tend to his now sore and tingling throat.

"Okay, I think I know where the Morse clue should lead us." Sakura said while they were running towards the forest. In a silent agreement, they all stopped just a few feet from the gate and hid from plain sight. "Spit it already, forehead." Ino said impatiently. Chouji remained quiet. Sakura sighed. "There's a memorial tablet near the training grounds." This earned her a nod from her teammates, and without saying anymore they all leaped off towards said memorial. _Well at least Ino didn't argue with me on that one..._

They stopped a few paces from the clearing in the forest where the stone slab rested, surveying the landscape for anything suspicious - Ino had signalled them to be quiet and pull to the side. "There." She whispered, pointing to a glistening spot in the middle of nothing. "The whole place is wired..." Chouji stated, as if anything needed to be said. It was obvious the clue collecting wouldn't be easy, traps were a common tool to delay people, after all. Sakura shot a glance around, trying to think of a plan of action, but as she tried to open her mouth Ino spoke. "We'll use a smoke bomb to see the treads more clearly and I'll jump across them to go get the clue."

The initiative earned Ino a stern look from her pink haired friend. "Wait." Sakura said, still in a low tone. But Ino wasn't about to listen to her and she had to latch out at her wrist to stop her. "Leggo of me, you freak!" Came a screeching whisper from Ino's lips, as she shook her hand free of the now limp fingers. Hurt crossed Sakura's eyes, but she pushed it behind, once again, trying to keep her focus on the task at hand, and not on her friend. "It's a dummy trap, pig-face." Came a low reply, barely loud enough to be heard, but somehow powerful enough to send shivers through Ino's spine. "Whatcha mean, billboard-brow?" Well they were insulting each other now, and Sakura found her confidence in the familiarity - but for once, she was the one leading the way, and a smile crept on her lips despite the pain Ino's current attitude kept digging in her gut. She crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "Bet you didn't notice the ground." She answered, crossing her arms over her chest. Ino's eyes narrowed. "I'm not that stupid, right Chouji?"

The boy immediately looked around for something remotely comestible – anything to avoid having to answer such a question. He couldn't find a single edible thing however, and after debating chewing on his own fingers for all but a second, he finally admitted defeat. "Yes." Ino's forehead scrunched up in fury at that answer, but the Akimichi wasn't done. "You're being stupid…" he paused, looking at Sakura to be sure he had her support. When she raised an eyebrow at him questioningly, and he finished. "… because you're letting yourself be angered way too easily at the moment."

Ino's forehead went back to normal, but her eyebrows stayed furrowed in a suspicious manner. "What do you mean, fa grmbl ??" Chouji's ear perked just as Sakura sighed in relief at managing to stop Ino from saying **it**. The boy decided to let it pass for the sake of the exam. "You've been picking on Sakura all morning, and I'm sure she's as fed-up with your attitude as I am."

The blonde shook herself from Sakura's grasp to look Chouji straight in the eye. The boy didn't flinch. She then turned to Sakura to meet a similarly cold stare, and finally gave in. "Heh, okay… I feel the wrong intent here." She tried defending herself. Sakura sighed, blinked, trying to control the fury – and hurt – that were boiling in her. "Look." She said, her voice coming out more controlled than she had expected. "Whatever it is, just shove it down your pretty ass for now, and focus." _Pretty ass?!? Did I just **say** that? _Chouji nodded, oblivious to the intruding word, and Ino silently agreed, shaking her head, her face showing absolutely no sign of perturbation. _Maybe I dreamed…_

Sakura took a deep breath and then resigned herself to make a plan. "Seems like the safest way to the tablet would be the gravel path. There **could** be someone waiting for us out there, and if it's the case, they've noticed our exact position with all the noise we made." She bit her lower lip thoughtfully for a moment, thinking over the possibilities. "Ino, you'll guide Chouji through the threads over there." She pointed to a corner where the forest was denser. "Once on the ground, he'll use the baika no jutsu technique of your choice to disarm the traps on the ground without getting hurt. You're to send two or three clones with him to grab anyone's attention. I'll sneak in from the path and try to find the clue. Once I have it, I'll activate one of the traps with a shuriken, that'll be your signal to get away. Let's meet at the old grand oak afterwards."

"Hai!" Chouji said, getting ready for the action already. But Ino wouldn't have it that way, she was going to protest when an explosion from far on their left caught everyone's attention. "Now!" Sakura shouted, and with a kick to the dirt the blonde kunoichi resolved herself to obeying. Not like she had any choice. She quickly formed the hands sing for her mind possession technique and as she leant back on a tree – this would take only a second or two. She focused on Chouji, and sent her spirit his way, deciding that letting him handle the bodily movement was better for both of them. "_Okay Cho, jump up about 25 inches from the ground and turn to the horizontal._" The boy did as he was told, and passed the wire traps rather easily, to Ino's surprise. He was airborne forming the hand signs required to first to release Ino's jutsu, and then preparing for the Meat Tank – this would be his best bet at blasting the mine field.

Sakura was focusing chakra in her legs, going at a speed she wasn't used at handling herself – all that training with Tsunade had increased her chakra level drastically. In a matter of seconds she was behind the memorial tablet, her eyes scanning her surroundings in search of the clue she needed. She saw two ninjas wearing chuunin uniforms attacking a team from Suna as the third of that cell was going after Chouji and Ino's clones. Thinking she had a bit of time to herself, she started examining the back of the tablet, finding a few chalk marks, but nothing intelligible. Her lips curved up in a smirk as she figured out the pretty simple system behind it and started to let some chakra flow through her palm and fingers, pressing it to the stone slab.

She was about to see results when she felt a presence behind her. Cursing herself mentally for letting her guard down, she immediately spun around to find a kunai levelled at her forehead, held by an arm that had been stopped from striking by a blonde girl. "Get it, I'm holding him." Ino hissed between her clenched teeth, struggling to keep her hold on the man's arm. The pink haired kunoichi didn't wait to be asked twice, and executed her task, already reaching for a shuriken in her pocket. As soon as the message showed up, she had committed it to memory, and a wire had been severed, letting a rain of kunai fall near the tablet as the team of three genin was already running elsewhere.

They stopped once at the oak tree, Chouji out of breath, and Ino somewhat struggling with her clothes, cussing between her teeth at the tree branches that crowded their path. "Well that was a close shot." Sakura said, in a sad attempt to break the silence that had fell on them. It didn't work. Ino was staring her up and down somewhat angrily, but with a hint of concern showing through. Her friend was just unreadable at the moment. Chouji just looked like he wanted to stay out of trouble. "I saved your butt out there, forehead." Ino finally broke in, grinning. "Yeah, thank you." Was Sakura's instant reply. And then again the dreadful silence. The sun was filtering through the three branches down to them, making an eerie place off of the foot of the tall oak. It's roots looked like they were the source of the whole forest, as if he was the one seed that had started it all. Both girls were defiantly staring at each other, not quite sure why they were. It was natural for Ino to jump in to help her friend, no matter the way she currently felt, and the whole leader thing was just childish on her part. Sakura just didn't want to let her rival/friend step on her to her own content.

It felt good for both of them when they released a sigh in unison, to Chouji's relief. "Your plan was alright." Ino said, taking a step towards her friend, and then hesitantly patting her shoulder. "And I got us to the second clue." Sakura stated matter-of-factly, pointing to the three. "I am to the forest what the first Hokage was to Konoha. Don't you think that tree fits the description?" Chouji frowned. "What if we're in another trap?" he said, disbelief in his voice. All that careful planning had led them to step right into the devil's den?

"Nah, Sakura would've stopped us before we got here if it was the case, right?" Ino said, looking the pink haired girl in the eye for a hint about their current situation. "Um, we passed a genjutsu field earlier, we're probably going to have to go through it again. I think the exit is going to be harder than the entrance."

The group stood where they were for a moment, before Sakura raised an eyebrow at both her teammates and they started looking around for a clue, Chouji paying special attention to every detail like he was told to do. It didn't take too long for something to come up. "Um Sakura, is a flying scroll part of any clue?" Ino turned back toward her friend to find it was now dark around her, the tree branches hanging above her head threateningly, the leaves whistling and twisting to a nasty biting cold breeze. Shadows were cast on the trunks in such a way that the forest looked like it was alive, and pretty much about to swallow her whole. _Genjutsu… I thought we were past the field. _She thought to herself, focusing the chakra in her head in hopes to get the control of her mind back. But it was to no use, the level was way above what she could break with pure will. "I should've listened to Sakura when she offered to show me how to dispel those." She spoke out loud, hoping her own voice would shake her out of it, or at least get her teammate's attention – if they weren't in the same situation.

All of a sudden someone was walking by her. She turned around to find an older Sakura, all smiling and shiny, walking and holding the arm of a dark clad ninja, with black hair, and red irises… He had an arrogant smile plastered on his lips, and in his back was the Uchiha fan symbol, etched in his clothes – and on Sakura's. _Sasuke, and Sakura? Woah this is a bad dream… _And it wasn't over yet. In a flash, she saw Shikamaru kissing Temari, then Naruto holding Hinata, and just as she thought she couldn't see anything more disturbing…

"NO!!!!!" She screamed, snapping back to reality at the same time, the feeling of Sakura's chakra tingling at the base of her neck, where the pink haired girl had applied her hand. "You okay Ino?" She asked, concern evident in her voice. The blonde's eyes were wide open in a mix of disgust and fear. "Hey, it was an illusion…" Sakura tried reassuring her. "S-Sakura. " Ino whispered, her voice shaky, as she unsteadily tried to keep her balance. "If I ever end up going out with Jiraiya-sama, can you please kill me??"

A light chuckle came from behind her, which turned into a fully fledged laugh soon after. "Ero-senin?" Tears started gathering at the edge of Chouji's eyes as he kept laughing, not even attempting to stop himself. Ino turned around and faced Chouji with a glare that said **'It's not funny'** in bold letters. But the boy kept laughing, although he managed to say something between chuckles. "I was ending up with Anko-sama in my dream!" Sakura shook her head to that, trying to get rid of the very bad imagery that had gathered in her mind. "Please guys, I've had enough of having to face Kakashi-sensei in my own illusion, can you please stop plaguing my poor, innocent mind?"

"Did he have his mask off?" Ino immediately asked, causing the pink haired kunoichi to let her head slump into an open palm. "Please…" she pleaded, wincing at the realization that she would never be able to look at her first sensei the same. Ever.

"I found the second clue." Sakura sighed, back into analyzing mode. "So, do we get to know what it is, now?" Chouji asked, the giggles finally receding, letting him speak normally. "Oh… _My second is warm, _and _My third symbolizes the will of Konoha._ Apparently we're still missing the _First._" Sakura stated, sighing yet again. Ino shot a glance to her friend and then poked her on the shoulder. "C'mon Sakura, you had plenty of time to figure the other clue out!" She whined, poking Sakura's shoulder once more. She was so focused on annoying her that having her head shoved down to have Sakura jump over her was a total surprise.

Yet nothing could've prepared her to what would happen next. Soft lips found their way to hers, pink hair brushing against her face, and gentle hands caressing her cheeks. She found herself totally freaked out, yet unable to resist kissing back – because that was kissing, right? Then the heat built up, their bodies melted together and the kiss grew more passionate… and Ino actually enjoyed it._Wha…? Why… this. Feels. So. Right._

"You ok Ino?" Sakura asked, her voice full of concern, noting her friend was blushing despite her half-unconscious state. That was until she snapped back to reality. "You… You freak Sakura-chan!" She yelled, pushing the confused Sakura aside and standing up, taking a few steps. Then she stopped, turned around, and began pacing. Her mind was racing with thoughts, questions, and stuff she didn't need to deal with during the chuunin exam. She wanted it all to go away, but couldn't dismiss a single thought. Now even more concerned, Sakura tried to get near Ino, only to have her hand snapped away and the blonde girl walking past her rudely. Once again, Chouji chose to watch the scene from afar, and said nothing.

"Um Ino, what's wrong?" Sakura hesitantly asked, her forehead wrinkled by worry. "You know, that was only an illusion… whatever happened." She added, hoping this would ease her friend's mind. Ino halted her pacing, but kept her back to her team, not trusting herself to look into their eyes, especially not Sakura. "I-I'm fine. Really." she answered, trying to sound convincing, and although she seemed to be failing, Sakura let it go. "Okay then." She paused, looked at Chouji who nodded to her. "The last clue, I think it's about a lake… Or a source of water… We should head to it now, we don't have much time left before the end of the test."

Ino's head snapped back as she shot a perplex glare at her friends. "What do you mean, not a lot of time left? We had five hours and I don't think we've been gone for more than thirty minutes." She looked at Chouji for confirmation and all he did was shift his gaze away. "Oh my god how long was I out of it?" Sakura sighed – she seemed to do that a lot that day. "We were attacked, I shoved you to the ground to protect you from an exploding tag and you hit your head. I healed the bump, but I couldn't wake you up." Sakura recalled, her gaze never leaving the ground. "I'm sorry." She added, her voice weaker. "Tss! You're sorry for saving my life forehead? Do you hate me that much?" Ino mocked, before poking her friend's said forehead. "Well then I made us lose enough time. On with the show, and to the great lake of Konoha!"

Sakura had expected Ino to be mad at her, especially with her current temper, so seeing her ready for action was quite a surprise. She wondered for a moment what the blonde could've been dreaming about so she would blush and react that badly when waking up, but had to push the thinking to later as they neared the lake, and a feeling of being watched crept on her. But before she could stop her troops Chouji had already come to an halt near the water, his hand and arm growing to an incredible length as he grabbed on a flying scroll. "The guys that put this up lacked originality with that one… two flying scrolls in a row." He said as he examined the scroll before opening it. Ino stopped his hand just before he did so. "Don't! That's probably a trap from the guys that have been following us since the beginning." Sakura nodded and Chouji immediately tossed the scroll to the other side of the lake, it disappearing in smoke on impact. "Another close one." Sakura stated as she looked around for a trace of their followers, or the clue. Then something caught her attention – the tiniest of spark, coming from under the water. "I saw something shine at the bottom of the lake, so I'll dive and see if that would be the clue." She said, not expecting anyone to defy her authority at that point. "Oh no, not likely that I'll let you get the good role again. Plus I'm a better diver than you are." Ino interfered, immediately taking the plunge, and not waiting for Sakura to agree. _Plus I could really use a cold shower right now…_

She came out of the water only seconds later, a huge victorious grin on her face. "_My first is a beautiful flower!" _She nearly screamed, gathering sceptical glares from her teammates. "That's what I saw down there." She added, uneasy. She never expected the fist that shattered her cheekbone right there. Especially since she wasn't Ino and therefore had no clue of the strength of the pink haired kunoichi. The transformation jutsu dispelled as the mist nin slowly got up, an angry look on her battered face. She was about to call on the rest of her team for backup when a flash of light came from out of the blue, temporarily blinding everyone.

When they finally recovered their sight, Chouji and Sakura saw the real Ino standing in front of them, panting and dripping, holding a piece of metal. "I can't decipher what's on it, Sakura." She said, totally oblivious to what had just happened. Sakura sighed in relief and grabbed the scrap of iron, blinking to adjust her still blurry vision on the characters engraved on it. "_My first glows brightly in the light of day._" Ino frowned, noting how her teammate looked gloomy, despite her success. "Huh, something happen while I was gone?"

Sakura looked up from her hands and at Ino, first noticing how her drenched clothes clung to her skin, then how her wet hair framed her soft face, and finally how her eyes seemed to pierce through her soul – well this was unusual. The feeling, the sight in front of her… _No! I'm only supposed to be thinking like this about Sasuke… or at least, guys… It's all that naughty genjutsu's fault! _ "Some mist ninja tried to pass as you, and Sakura punched her off. Then something got her away." Chouji's answer shook Sakura out of her shocked state, and she nodded to Ino. "Are you crazy?!? It could've been ME!!" Ino stormed, walking in on Sakura's personal space, oblivious to the discomfort she was causing the girl.

"I **knew** what I was doing!" The pink haired girl retorted, crossing her arms over her chest, effectively cutting out some of the uneasiness. "I knew the answer to the riddle, and she had a clue that didn't fit. Plus, she didn't smell like you at all." Ino's eyes grew wide. "You knew the answer and you let me get all wet anyway?" She argued, feeling betrayed. She didn't mention the smell part however – a part of her was touched that Sakura would remember her smell, and another was utterly freaked out just the same. The other kunoichi rolled her eyes. "**You** jumped in on your own, for one thing. And secondly. Why – why in the world would they make us do a clue hunt **before** an exam if its not to ask us about what we've seen. Don't you remember the last exam, the goal of the first test?"

The realization dawned on Ino as she remembered the details about information gathering. It wasn't all about stealth, it was about finding what counted, and knowing everything that had to be known. _Well damn, I'm outsmarted by billboard brow again._ She complained internally, kind of glad that Sakura was on her team though. Shikamaru wouldn't have bothered with such _bothersome_ details. "So what's the answer?" She asked, curiously.

"The will of Fire." Chouji said, a smile on his lips. The young Akimichi was proud to have figured it out on his own. "Ha!" Ino laughed, shaking her head. "This test is so Konoha biased." Sakura chuckled. "Maybe for us, but remember, everyone got different sets of clues..." She trailed off, knowing her friends had understood. "Well, let's be on our way to the Hokage burial ground, right?" Chouji asked. They all agreed, seeing as they didn't have much time left.

A man in an Anbu mask greeted them at the single booth situated at the top of the hill where the previous Hokages rested. He didn't waste any time with presentations though. "Well you've come this far, the rest of the test should be easy. I'll ask you guys three questions, one for each clue you gathered. You can consult, and you have as much time as there is left to the test to answer. If you answer one wrong, you fail. Simple enough?" Three tired genins shot glances at each other before they agreed. They'd come this far, they just couldn't fail this one.

"Okay, you're ready. Question One: Which village were the ninjas you met at the memorial tablet from?" Chouji's eyes grew wide. He had been asked to watch everything closely, and somehow he just hadn't paid attention to that. Sakura shot a glance at him and he suddenly began wishing that Shikamaru was there. "There was no symbol on their headbands, they were blank. I would know I was face to face with one of them." Ino said, hoping to grab her friend's attention. She had remembered that. Chouji sighed in relief, he would have said Konoha, and he would've been wrong.

"Good. Second question: What kind of flower grew at the foot of the oak tree?" Decidedly it was Ino's day to be useful. "I saw violas there, purple ones. Which is strange because it's not the time or place for those to grow." Sakura glared at the blonde. "You saw that while you were unconscious?" She scowled at her, not quite sure she trusted that statement from a girl that had been sleeping/having dreams during most of the time. The Anbu guy asked Ino with the same scepticism. "Final answer?"

Ino's lips quivered as for a moment she doubted herself, which felt weird. _Well here goes, I'm pulling a Naruto._ "Yep, 'cause I'm the best kunoichi in the village and I'm always right no matter what." The blonde answered with renewed conviction, to the total dismay of her companions. The man behind the mask lowered his head for a moment before he continued. "Well that's two out of three then. Last question: How many boats or embarkations were on the lake when you arrived there?"

This time all eyes turned to Chouji, and the Akimichi boy grinned, for once he had an answer ready. "Three, two canoe and one kayak. The reason why they were there is beyond me though." Two girls silently wished that this was the right answer, while the man with the Anbu mask slowly reached up to remove said mask, revealing a focused, unperturbed Iruka. "Are you a hundred percent sure Chouji?" He said, looking the young Akimichi straight in the eye. A confident nod followed by a smile confirmed the teacher's words, and he sighed in defeat. "Well guys… I'm afraid I have to tell you… " silence, nervousness. The small booth was filled with tension and apprehension. The tone of Iruka's voice wasn't promising.

"That you have passed the first test successfully!" He finished, a huge smile forming on his face. Ino and Sakura instinctively jumped into each other's arms, joining their bodies together in a fierce hug, until the recent events came back to their memory and they pulled back brutally. Both fully aware that they had a few things to sort out in their minds. "If you want, you can grab a snack before the next test." Iruka added, mostly to Chouji's attention. "The second test starts at the forest of death in about 45 minutes. Don't be late!"

* * *

**AN: **Whew, it's a freakin 2am in da morning Oo. Allow me to rub my sleepy eyes for a moment. (I had warned that I was the kind of person to update very early in the morning, so don't blame me for the strangeness of this small comment.) 

I finally put together this chapter. 8 and some full pages, I think that's my longest chapter up to now. And I'm pretty proud of it. I ain't the best for writing heavy action scene, and although the idea of a clue hunt was very cool at first, I struggled big time to make everything fit. That'll teach me for trying to be clever and original... Um oh yeah, Ino's having quite the shifty mood in this chapter (kind of the reason for the chapter title, listen to that song by Trapt, it's really good!- like all their songs actually :P) and there is a reason behind it, one you can probably try guessing - but no, it's not her period. The kids are 13 so I'll give 'em a bit of a break on that lol. It'll all eb explained in the next chapter anyway.

I'd like to thank my faithful readers - the 2 people that have me on story alert, the one thats got me on author alert, and of course, most of all, DarkInu418 (got the numbers right?) who's added my fic to her faves and keeps reviewing every chapter! YOU ROCK! (So if you want to rock too, post a review!) And over that, her InoSaku fic is really funny and I love it and somehow I found a lot of inspiration reading it. Oh and let's not forget all the silent people, the hit count does matter to me, I'm happy with the numbers so far hehe.

So... stay tuned for a big showdown in the forest of death, where the super team from the hawk village will show up again - I'll try to get a pencil drawing of the guys down so you can have a clearer image of them :P I think I'll have the next chapter called **Stay Alive**. And on that note, I'm off to dreamland lol. Hope you enjoy this chapter c(-'.'-)o


	6. Chapter 6 : Stay Alive

**Chapter 6: Stay Alive**

Chouji was feeding on ramen, enjoying the well deserved break, gulping the food down similarly to what Naruto would do if he had it in front of him, and would be just as hungry. It was as if he was afraid he wouldn't have time to eat enough before the next test, even though they had more time than needed, seeing as getting to the forest of death was only a five minute trip at ninja speed.

Sakura and Ino were eating more thoughtfully, mostly quiet, thinking more than anything else. Watching Chouji devour his servings wasn't the best show to give anyone appetite. _The kiss was just a dream… but it's **got **to mean something. Could I… No! Damn this is Sakura I'm thinking about, it was all because of that Genjutsu! _Ino was rambling internally, occasionally relenting and fishing for a bite of ramen.

At this rate it didn't take much longer for Sakura to push the remains of her meal in front of Chouji, and watch as Ino imitated her gesture. "I wonder how many teams passed the first test…" The pink haired girl said as she propped her head on her hand, playing with the ribbon attached to her new gloves – she would wear them for this test. "I'm sure Kiba's team has made it." Ino replied, assuming the exact same position as her friend, only facing the other way to look at her. Sakura's eyebrow twitched at seeing someone imitate her, but she let it slip – Ino's bitchy attitude was not present.

"Where's our motivation?" She let out instead, after a moment of dull staring. Ino answered her with a shrug. "It's got to be my fault…" she said, almost too quietly for Sakura to understand. "Why would it be your fault?" She asked, frowning. "I… I'm sorry for being such a bitch earlier…" Ino's voice was sincere, a tone Sakura didn't hear often. "It's okay, pig."

Ino snorted playfully, and then turned serious again. "I want you to know…" she sighed, trying to get the right words out. "That you in no way deserved this." Sakura looked at her intently and raised an eyebrow, shifting slightly to make herself comfortable for the rest. "I thought… that acting stupid would make all those, y'know, awkward moments go away." The mention of those unwanted reactions to normal things earned Ino a nod from Sakura. "I guess I was wrong. I just… didn't…"

"Want it to get in the way of the exam? I should've figured that one out…" Sakura completed, reaching for her friend's face with her free hand, her fingers instinctively brushing the large strand of blond hair away from Ino's face. "I have to admit I was worried I had done something wrong…"

"You didn't." Ino hastily replied, gently pushing Sakura's fingers out of her hair, wincing as she saw the disappointed look on Sakura's face. _Damn I wish I could kiss her… err, kick her butt… _"So you don't hate me?" The pink haired girl asked, leaving a bit of money on the table and slowly getting up. Ino shook her head as she did the same. "No. Do you?" She just had to ask back. "Never."

They stood before each other for a moment, Chouji watching them with a raised eyebrow, wondering what in the world was going on. They were smiling. "Just don't start PMSing without warning again!" Sakura said, smirking, before she took off towards the forest, Ino on her heels – and Chouji a safe distance behind.

Eight teams out of the eleven starting were left, including Kiba's team. The girl they had encountered during the clue hunt wasn't there anymore and so they assumed that team had been disqualified. The absence of the two other Konoha teams was more surprising though. "Well, I guess there's at the most four teams that will finish this test." Sakura said as they approached the cluster of nins. None of them looked like they had been in a rough fight, apart from the members of the sand team they had seen fighting at the memorial slab. All in all, it looked quite promising. "Do we need to go over our strategy again or you guys are ready?" Ino asked, playing with a kunai she had grabbed from her pocket, willingly ignoring that the twirling object was sending rays of light directly into Sakura's eyes. "I thought it implied that you would act normal." She said playfully while shielding herself from the annoying sparkles of light with her gloved hand. "I **am** acting normal, forehead." She responded, then sticking her tongue out to mock her friend. Ino was happy, and Sakura noticed it. She decided she could play along and wear a smile as well.

Just as both girls were about to get something clever out, a cloud of smoke distracted them and with a bang – literally, a man, as far as the definition of a man goes, showed off his bowl-cut shiny hair, his magnificent bushy brows, his superb dark green one piece outfit, that sparkling teeth and the whole 'youth' of one over-excited Gai. He was standing on the back of a turtle, observing everyone through his fingers dramatically. "Ah, the beauty of youth, looks like everyone is on time!" Sakura shot a perplexed glance at Ino who just reflected it. "I thought they were on a mission!" The emerald-eyed girl said in a low voice. The blonde shrugged. "Beats me."

"For those of you who's first time it is seeing me and doing this test, my name is Maito Gai." He practically yelled, assuming a nice guy pose. "This here is the Forest of Death, known for it's many threats. A restricted area in normal times, where not only wild animals and nature will be against you, but yourself, and the other teams." Lee's sensei paused, examining his surroundings carefully, noting that a team was more or less paying attention. The tallest of the bunch was busy adjusting a strap meant to hold his hammer in place, visibly annoyed at the speech. The shortest one was pacing on the spot, warming up or some other weird exercise as he cleaned the protective mask he usually wore on his face. The last one was leaning over the electrified fence that led to the forest, far away from the crowd, his eyes cast to a cloud or a bird in the sky, not quite noticing the activity that went on only a feet away from him. The fact that a couple thousand volts of pure electricity ran in his back didn't even seem to phase him – he was untouchable.

Everyone's gaze was gradually shifting to the spot that seemed to grab the teacher's attention, except the three concerned party members, who paid no attention to it, anyway. Realizing he was loosing the rest of his audience, Gai snapped back to the task at hand. "Oh, yeah. Each team will be given a scroll, either of earth or heaven. There will be four of each scroll, and your goal is to steal another team's scroll and make your way to the tower in the middle of the forest before the time is out. During the duration of the exam, it is totally forbidden to open the scroll. Time limit is five days from the beginning of the test. You have waivers to sign, and will all start at a different door. Questions?"

Seeing as no one seemed to have questions, and that the team of rebel youth that had gotten his attention were already headed for the scroll booth, Gai dismissed the rest of the chuunin-wannabes in a wave of his wrist – a movement that looked So. Damn. Gay. Sakura, Ino and Chouji followed suit, as usual weirded out by the simple presence of master bushy-brow. "Of all people, they have to put the most… flashy ones as our examiners… how the hell do they choose them – and most importantly: what the heck are they doing after sending us off, anyway?" Ino ranted as they picked up the waivers and signed them, collecting a scroll that went directly to Chouji's scroll bag. "Well hey, at least we know he's not quite as psycho as Anko… I guess…" Sakura retorted, tightening her gloves as they headed for their entry door. Chouji grunted before he replied. "Well maybe he was the only one around. Or for all we know, it could be a clone or something." If they had been in an anime or a manga, they would've sweat dropped. That would be the typical trick to pull to let an exam go out of control like last time. Only this time, it wasn't a freak sand guy and an emo snake that was running wild. It was a trio of mysterious foreign ninjas who's abilities were all but known. And so it became a common agreement for the team to try their best to stay away from those guys during the exam.

As soon as their door opened, the team of two kunoichis and one shinobi jolted through it, their goal similar to everyone else: with so little teams in the game, the best strategy was to ambush another team near the main building. Of course going there in a frenzy was pretty stupid, because there would always be faster people out there that would be home before them – meaning they'd get ambushed without proper planning. It was Shikamaru who had proposed the reverse ambush, and Sakura – with a tad of Naruto-ish inspiration – that had perfected it to fit the resources they had. The jist of it was to send clones into the trap along with a member of the team, and have the rest of the team use genjutsu to take control of them. Namely Sakura putting on some twisted illusion while Ino was taking possession of one member of the opposing team. Then they'd give up, give a fake scroll and 'leave' the spot – only to counter-attack a minute later and get their hands on the right scroll. It sounded pretty much fail-proof – given they would have the time to find a team, follow them, and not be noticed. And so, small talk was out of the question. The first half day, up until dusk, was booooooring.

It was even incredibly silent when they stopped to set up camp for the night. Chouji went fishing without having to be asked at a nearby pond, Sakura trapped the surroundings of their camp area and Ino took care of starting a fire using a minor katon jutsu she had learned not that long ago. Sakura came back before Chouji and sat on a log Ino had positioned near the fire, watching as the blonde stirred it mindlessly. She looked kind of sad, and accepting although of what, no one could tell. "I think it's safe to talk…" Sakura whispered after a bit of staring, effectively startling Ino.

"Gah! Saku-chan, don't scare me like that!" she scowled, kicking a few sparks her way with the stirring stick. Sakura's eyes grew wide. "Y-you just called me… Saku-chan?" she asked, incredulously, earning a chuckle from her friend. "So what?" Ino asked sheepishly, a slight blush covering her face. The pink haired girl shrugged it off, but noting the blush carefully. _What's with her today? First she acts like a complete bitch, and now she's being all friendly towards me… I'm lost…_

Ino was into her own inner ramble, turning her attention back to the raging fire when Sakura had shrugged the current matter off. The truth – or what she believed **was** the truth - had finally hit her back at the ramen shop, when they had simply reminded each other there was no hard feelings between them. _I don't hate you Sakura, I couldn't for the life of me… 'Cause I love you… _She sighed, quite audibly to the outer world even though she was utterly lost in her own. And so she didn't notice Sakura scooting closer to her and the arm wrapping around her shoulders startled her yet again. She shot her head to the side nervously, her forehead colliding with her friend's in a loud thump. Quite unexpecting, Sakura who was about to say something recoiled from the impact, biting her lip hard in the process. At first she winced, her face still inches from the blonde's, feeling the blood trickle down from her lip slightly. Her eyes were shut tight in pain, and she didn't see how Ino brushed her lips to hers tentatively, nor felt it due to the numbness caused by the recent pain.

Fishes and fruits found their way at Sakura's and Ino's foot just at that exact moment, and Ino had the presence of mind to pull back and rub her forehead, trying her best to hide the deep shade of red her cheeks had turned to. Her heartbeat was so damn loud, her breathing ragged, and her forehead throbbing with sharp pain. Sakura's arm was still around her shoulders though, the girl way too close for comfort, no matter how comforting being in her arms was… For a moment the turquoise eyed genin wondered if she had really tried to kiss Sakura, but she knew she had, the chaos in her mind an evident proof of it all. And then she wondered if she'd ever be able to muster the courage to try that again. A part of her wanted Sakura to have noticed, while the other was relieved it all went by in the shadows, not quite ready to admit that she was in love with her best friend, even though she accepted it.

Sakura was shocked, to say the least. But at what, she couldn't quite point out to herself. As Chouji sat and began cooking the food – his only interest at the moment, he probably didn't care about their girl stuff – she began to wonder how things had gotten, well… there. For a moment it felt like they were back in time, and Sasuke and Naruto were arguing around the fire as she watched their back… But she blinked and saw Chouji and knew Ino was still by her side, and she felt like, this time around, she was the one who's back was being watched. She could get used to the feeling.

"I'm sorry." The voice was Ino's, but the girl had barely moved her lips. They had been silent for well over a minute after the head bang, and the sound brought some more easiness over them, as faint as it was. "Oh, I'm fine, don't worry." Sakura tightened her grip on her friend unconsciously, feeling the need to comfort her, yet not knowing why. "I can heal it so it doesn't bruise too bad, if you want." She offered sincerely, while Chouji looked at them both as if they were aliens from a distant planet. Then gears in his mind then started moving and he decided to stare at them, hoping some action would come next.

Sakura noted the weird look her and Ino were getting from their male partner, and she immediately straightened herself up, releasing Ino and then bending over, returning the boy's stare, "Stop looking at us as if you were watching porn, perv. Plus me and In…"

"Too bad, I was hopin' fer a show worth the trouble." A slightly familiar voice came from behind them, interrupting Sakura as a tall guy with a hammer in hand stepped out of the shadow. Then the dark haired Ematai came into view, holding a string of kunai on his back. The three Konoha nins immediately assumed a back-to-back fighting stance as Izlude came out from the other side. "Hand over 'da scroll pals." Hanmaru nearly sang, swinging his hammer around as if that huge stone thing was a mere foam toy. Iketetsomaru stepped forward and stopped him. "Izzy's got it already." He simply stated, nodding to his partner. "I guess you're lucky you got the same as us." He then added, and in a wave of his hand the scroll was back in Sakura's hands, but the small guy had seemingly not moved.

"Aww Ike, I wanna have me some fun, ya 'now." The shaggy blond complained, now twirling his hammer around. "Plus that's 'da team of sissies we met on our first night out here… I don't think they'll make it thru… " Sakura glanced around nervously, not sure how to react in the current situation. It was no use to attack them, seeing as they had the same type of scroll as their opponents, but standing still was just making her insane at the moment. She was about to say something when she saw Ike narrowing his eyes and squaring his jaw at his teammate. The sight, although terrifying, was plain funny, as Dasane Hanmaru's own face went totally blank. "Err, s'ry pal. You lead, I obey. Yer wish is my…"

"SHUT UP!" A violent palm hit the back of Hanmaru's head in sync with the very loud yell coming from the Ematai's deep throat. The air became still, the crickets ceased their incessant chirping, the water stopped running… It felt like someone had cut them out from reality and had placed the six kids in a room where nothing existed but that _anger_. Ino was growing frantic, those guys were scary, but this guy was simply too much. _We are **so** going to die…_ Even Chouji was sweating in his fear of the inevitable.

Then they all blinked at the same time, as if in a daze. And the hawk nins were gone, pretty much like they had never been there to begin with. It took Ino and Chouji a few seconds to regain their composure and relax, but Sakura kept her fighting stance, apparently frozen in place. "Yo, Sakura?" Ino asked tentatively, waving her hand in front of the girl's eyes, hoping for a reaction. And Sakura effectively blinked again, her body suddenly becoming limp and falling forward, and Ino caught her just before she hit the ground. Chouji panicked. "I-I'll get some water!" he shouted hurriedly as he ran to a bucket he had laid down close to the fire to cook the fish, and couldn't stop himself from checking on the food on the way. Ino took a steadying breath as she slowly lowered Sakura to the ground, worry literally morphing her face into something pretty gloomy in the faint light of the fire. Somehow the moon was now high in the sky, and reflected upon the pink haired kunoichi's soft skin through the trees. Everything was once again so eerie that, despite the fact that her friend was almost out cold, Ino couldn't help but relax and let herself think. _Is this another illusion. Is Sakura really there on the ground, and Chouji eating that fish, and my heart beating so fucking loud cuz I'm scared that my best friend – the person I care the most about in the whole word, could be hurt?_

Chouji finally came back with a wet cloth, and Ino snatched it from him and started applying the cool piece of fabric to Sakura's face, getting grunts in response. She had her eyelids half closed, the twitching of the muscles in her forehead signalling that she was trying to keep them open. Her lips were trembling with words she tried to speak, but couldn't muster the strength to utter. She was weak, knew it – and hated it. Ino tried to calm her down, her usually high pitched voice soothing and calm despite the fact that concern was clawing at her heart and making her whole being shake in fear at the simple sight she had in front of her. "It's alright Sakura, you'll be okay… " Tears were gathering in Ino's eyes and she started fading out, retreating in the back of her mind not to witness this. With every passing second, Sakura was growing weaker, her muscles flexing less, her lips nearly inanimate now.

"Poison, take my body?" Chouji was sitting on his heels next to them and intently staring at Sakura's lips, his voice leaving no doubt that he had finally managed to make out the quiet cries for help Sakura had tried to send out since she was like this. Interpreting them was beyond him though. Ino's head shot up, her conscious pulled back into place by the words Chouji had let out. "Oh god poison? Take her… Oh!" Ino didn't even wait for Chouji to ask her what she was about to do as she started forming the hand signs for her mind possession jutsu. The prospect of going back in there wasn't exactly attractive, but if it was indeed poison acting on her body, it would be the only way to save Sakura. _I should've learned medical jutsu just like her... _

Her limp body fell over Sakura's in a position that Chouji actually enjoyed watching, but the blond could care less about her outer predicament. Her mind walked the daze of Sakura's and if anything, it was scarier than the last time due to the girl's spirit being fuzzy from the poisoning. Not too sure what all she was looking for. "Cha, there you are INO-PIG!" suddenly the raging voice of Inner Sakura came out from right behind her, causing the blond to wince at the loudness in her ear. "You got to do something for me!" The dark side of Sakura pressed her on, less loudly, but in a way that just, well, annoyed Ino. "But what?" The blonde asked, turning toward her friend's inner version. "Oh right, you're as stupid as usual." The girl said, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms in quite the superior manner. Ino's eyes narrowed slightly. "Well tell me, smart-ass!"

A smirk crawled up on Sakura's lips. "Admit you like my ass." Now Ino's eyes were wide, this turn in the conversation was unexpected. "So what if I do?" She finally asked, after reflecting on it for a moment, crossing her arms in front of herself as well. "Well, between you and me." That scary version of Sakura nearly whispered, getting closer to Ino, who was now all ears to what was about to be said. "Your ass makes me wanna kick it!" Control nearly became a foreign thing toher. "In a very kinky way…"

Now Ino was blinking in disbelief. "But Sakura doesn't really feel that way… yet. But do us a favour and be patient, will you?" The look on Ino's face was priceless. "Uh, sure?" _Is this yet **another** bad dream or what?_ She rambled on, totally weirded out by what had just occurred, in Sakura's mind, between her and her Inner friend… Or whoever the heck **that** was. "Back to the matter at hand…" Said Inner Sakura interrupted, snapping Ino out of her thoughts. "You need to get that poison out of our system, quick." Ino raised an eyebrow at that obvious statement. "Nani?"

And so Inner Sakura started explaining the basics of poison removal by chakra injection, and also recited the universal antidote recipe to make sure the blonde wouldn't forget it. "Now…" she finished after a lecture that seemed to last hours, but in reality lasted only seconds… "You take control of the body, use all your strength to break the jutsu, and fix me up. Deal?" Ino chuckled and gave a nod, immediately finding herself in control of Sakura's limbs. She struggled to get her hands together, and it took all she had to just send her spirit back to her own body, still sprawled over Sakura's. She then slowly pushed herself off of the shivering body, and she turned to Chouji. "Cho, I need a few ingredients to make an antidote." The Akimichi boy agreed to get all the required stuff and Ino then proceeded to do as she was told.

She first lifted the girls dress up to her chest, effectively exposing her oh so cute midriff, trying her hardest not to gawk at the sight before her as she pressed both her hands to each side of the girl's ribs and sent waves of chakra through her. Sakura's skin was the silkiest, nicest thing she had ever touched, and that rendered concentration difficult. She however managed to extract most the poison out of her friend's system, the foreign liquid seeping out her skin and lying there just like ordinary water would. Ino then proceeded to wipe the soft skin clean with the still wet cloth, and then reluctantly pulled the dress back down, just as Chouji showed up with the necessary ingredients. They made the antidote carefully and gave it to Sakura, then settled for the night. That was enough emotion for now… They couldn't be bothered with a night shift and what not. The leftover traps would have to keep them safe.

Ino woke up the next morning cuddled with Sakura. She had wrapped her arm around the girl and scooted close to keep her warm, but their position had rather evolved during the night. The first thing she realized was that her hand was on Sakura's breast, then upon further examination, their legs were intertwined, Sakura had her hand on her butt and Ino was halfway covering her with her own body. Next thing she knew her friend was awake and staring at her, a _whaddafuck? _expression stuck on it. Ino instantly pushed herself off of Sakura and blushed a deep shade of red, a detail that wasn't left unnoticed. "Were you actually groping me?" The sleepy Sakura asked, not sure if she wanted to sound mad or freaked out. Or both? "N-No! I just woke up and we… were like this." She retorted, trying her hardest to suppress the blush – and failing horribly. "Riiiight." Came Sakura's response, but she wasn't mad, nor freaked out. More like playful. "I swear!" Ino defended herself vigorously. _So not going to tell her I was awake and enjoying this… Although I have no clue **why.** Why? _Sakura rambled on internally.

The pink haired girl then giggled and waved it aside. "Thank you for saving me. That poison was nasty. I swear I never saw him even touching me… " To that Ino frowned. "Izlude did that?" She asked, incredulously. "Yeah, here. " Sakura answered, showing Ino a very shallow cut on her wrist. "That's when he gave me back our scroll." Ino's eyes grew wide. "So much poison and effect for such a **small** cut?!?" She just couldn't believe it. Sakura shrugged and gave her an apologetic smile. "You saved my life again… " She stated, and Ino waved it off. "Anytime, forehead."

Just then, Chouji awoke not too far from them with a reality defying yawn. "'Morning Chouji." Ino said, holding back a chuckle as he raised to a sitting position and waved at both girls. "I guess breakfast and a test continuation is in order." Sakura then added matter-of-factly. And they all nodded and picked up leftovers from the night before, to chew them down as they made their way, hoping that they hadn't lost too much time. The sun wasn't too high up and a light breeze blew the hair out of their face as they sped up towards the central tower, always keeping an eye out for traps or signs of another team. There were none. "We can bet the Hawk team has already gotten their scroll, so that's one less for us." Sakura let the words slide as they were crossing a clearing. Ino simply nodded in response, reminding her friend of their no-speaking plan. The young kunoichi was enjoying the silence on that day, as it allowed her to make out a few things about what was happening in her mind. She kept reflecting on what Inner Sakura had said, growing more and more excited at the prospect of Sakura eventually, one day, returning the affection. _She'll have to get over Sasuke first, though…_

Suddenly Sakura's hands latched out in front of her teammates and she gave them a look meaning that she had sensed the presence of another team. It was now time for action. Both girls each formed a clone of themselves and sent it alongside Chouji as they threaded not far behind, observing their surroundings with renewed focus. _Oh my god… It's the mist Nins we fought last year. I doubt they'll fall for the same trick twice…_ Sakura thought as she saw who their opponents were. But it was too late to go back now, so she could merely hope for things to go right.

Chouji didn't waste time before falling into the other team's trap, even though he was just faking being surprised. They were in front of a small pond, the ground soaked in numerous places, earth turning to mud. Such a setup would make ground fighting laborious. Except for the team that had set the trap on their favored terrain. From the distance in the trees, both female ninjas nodded at each other and led their clones in on the action as well. There were a multitude of water bunshins all over the place in only a matter of second, and it seemed like they had a big advantage over the pour Chouji, who could only use the meat spin to avoid getting hurt by the sneaky attacks of the mist nins. And using that technique near water was risky.

Once the fight was well under way and apparently all the members of the opposing team were busy trying to get Chouji and two particularly hard to reach clones, Sakura formed the hand signs required to perform the genjutsu they had chosen – one she had properly named suikouu no jutsu (acid rain jutsu). Well in the end the presence of water in the area would help her perform at her best. Ino on her side was making her body comfortable in the tree she was in, to make sure it wouldn't fall once she had taken the body of one of the mist nins. The difficulty would be to direct her mind to a real person, and not a clone, and a quick calculation told her she had twenty-five percent of chances to miss with Sakura's jutsu in effect. Most of the clones would be dispelled in the process and the remaining ones wouldn't be affected, or at least, she hoped so.

Chouji had now stopped rolling and stepped on the water, what he realized was a big mistake only seconds later when he felt himself being pulled down and into the depth of the small pond. The chips loving boy didn't let himself fall prey to panic however, and instantly made his legs grow an incredible size, obliging the ninja who was trying to pull him down to let go of him, and just at the right time kicked his leg out of the water and back to normal size, effectively sending the poor nin flying into the nearest tree. Sakura's jutsu took effect at that exact moment, sending everything in the space surrounding them into an alternate dimension of… rain. Chouji knew he would get caught in the jutsu as well and braced himself, deciding to face it with all his might and force the illusion out of his mind. The other nins had no such luck and found themselves inside a cube of water, their bodies slowly melting away, in a very painful manner. Most of the clones in the area disappeared in a flash, Ino's and Sakura's in the lot. The blonde girl didn't have any time to lose, seeing as the effects of this genjutsu wouldn't last long. Sakura was already struggling to keep it up. She opted for the one Chouji had thrown across the place, deciding it was her best bet at finding something to send her mind into. One last nod to Sakura, and there was no trace of Chouji down there. The fight was seemingly over.

The fallen body had gotten up awkwardly, Ino trying her best to get accustomed to the outfit and apparatus of the mist nin, as well as his mind. _Well at least I know they have the right kind of scroll… _She thought to herself as she faced the other nins of her host's team. "Well that was weird." The smallest of the team said, shaking the remnants of the illusion out of himself. The second one looked thoughtful. "Do you still have the scroll Mizugin?" He asked, causing Ino to wonder if she was supposed to answer, or if the other guy was the subject of the question. Then it dawned on her that she was probably screwed, one way or the other, because it was probably some kind of secret code the team had. She started raking her host's mind in a desperate attempt to find out, but even though she had control over the body, the mist nin wouldn't let her in his thoughts. _And I thought Sakura was hard to get to…_ She finally decided to act troubled, hoping she'd get away with it while Sakura and Chouji prepared their counter-attack. "These kids…" she said, hoping the voice wasn't too different from usual.

Sakura was just done circling the area with a few traps when she heard a distinct noise coming from right behind her. She swiftly reeled her arm back and spun around, ready to strike, just in time to see an aquatic clone liquefying to the ground. _Oh fuck…_ Realization struck her: they had been trapped at their own trap – so to speak. She had to warn Chouji and Ino, or do something… She tried to steady her breathing, and figure something out, but nothing came to mind, so she rushed to the battle, hoping that Chouji was as ready as ever.

The apparent team leader frowned and then withdrew a kunai. "They're still around… THERE!" He nearly shouted, hurling the kunai with expertise, right in the direction where Ino's body laid, waiting for it's owner to come back. Ino's eyes grew wide inside the man's body as she realized what was going on: she didn't have enough time to cancel her jutsu and get back to her body before the kunai struck. She couldn't reach for a kunai or a shuriken and hurl it at the kunai to deflect its trajectory… She was doomed.

Chouji heard the weapon whistling through the air way too late, as he turned around to face the third member of the mist team. The man wielded a short staff that he swung at the poor Akimichi boy with such awkwardness that he had trouble dodging the blow, and the dozens more that were thrown his way subsequently. It felt like he was swimming through the air, weighting twice his weight while he manoeuvred around the weird pattern of staff strikes, and he couldn't place a hit himself. He just had to leave the other two guys to the girls and focus on his fight.

Sakura was racing towards Ino's body in hopes that she wasn't too late. Every step she poured more chakra into her feet, breaking trunks along the way, snapping into branches every now and then, but she didn't care, she had to get back quick. She saw the glint of metal flying across the forest from a distance, and then she knew where the kunai was headed. "INO!!!!!"

* * *

AN: Cliffy!!!! Yesh, that tends to happen. But I just couldn't stuff the whole forest of death into one single update. Beyond me. This is, also, the longest chapter of the bunch yet. Which is my main excuse for taking so long to update. Also, my life's been taking a few turns I totally didn't expect, but don't worry, I'm still writing! 

I want to thank everyone's who's read, reviewed, faved or just smiled at my fic. Seriously, it all matters to me, and makes me wanna keep going. And if you hated it uh... sucks for you. Now you'll excuse me, but author's notes are not my strength when I haven't had much sleep in the past few days and it's getting late. Just wanted to get that posted before bed. Hope you enjoyed, and if you did, do let me know!


	7. Chapter 7 : When All Is Said And Done

**Chapter 7: When All Is Said And Done**

Sakura sped by, breaking records, shattering wood and covering herself in splinters, scratches, bruises and deeper cuts. But for all she cared, it was the least of her worries right now, because her friend's life was in danger. Ino's life was at stake.

She leaped frantically, only a few meters away now, throwing a handful of shurikens at full blast to try and deflect the trajectory of the deadly kunai. There was nothing else she could attempt before the inevitable impact, and she hoped it had worked. Oh god, she hoped beyond belief that it had been enough.

Ino had decided to use her last few seconds to attack the other guy, surprising him by placing a round kick right under his chin and sending him flying into a tree. _So he didn't know I was in… urgh… _Her thinking stopped as the body she was in coughed blood, a sharp pain seizing her chest causing her to double over and fall on her knees. And she then remembered another particularity of her jutsu her parents had told her about. If her own body was damaged while she wasn't in it, she would still feel the pain. But the damage would not be transferred over, to the contrary of damage done on the host's body, so why was she coughing blood?

Her question was answered when she saw the point of a spear planted through her host's chest, as her vision started blurring. She didn't think, only formed the hand seal to release the jutsu. The last thing she heard was Chouji's desperate yelp. Then she was back in her body, the pain still as sharp, her throat still bubbling with blood, and Sakura holding her with the most sad expression she had ever seen on her friend's face. She wanted to say something, reassure her friend, hold her tight, tell her how much she loved her. But no word came, and she passed out, just as she noticed the tears on Sakura's face through her clouded sight.

"Ino! Don't leave me. You don't have the **right** to die now!" Sakura yelled between sobs as her friend's body became limp, the blood on the corner of her mouth already drying. The sight was unbearable. Sakura wanted to fall on her knees and cry herself to sleep, death even. It had hurt to lose Sasuke, but it had been **nothing** compared to the pain she felt now at the prospect of losing her very best friend. Then something nagged at her, a strength she didn't know she had, a power beyond what she had ever imagined she could possess. Her body mechanically picked up the kunai that had been effectively deflected and had ended it's course in the tree trunk and she leaped down, a war cry of an impressive magnitude echoing in her trail. "You bastard!" She yelled as she gathered her chakra inside the kunai and swung it at the staff and spear wielding mist nin -the one that had killed his own teammate - who was about to send Chouji flying once again. The guy dodged the direct blow rather easily, but was nonetheless struck by the wave of pure power that Sakura had released. The pink haired girl didn't even wait for him to touch the ground as she leaped over him, nearly sitting on his flying form, now gathering chakra into her free hand and reeling it back. She then punched him with a rage she couldn't control, bringing their travel to an halt as the ground literally crumbled under the impact, the ninja's head blown to smithereens in the process.

That was one down for the count, but Sakura was not satisfied, yet. With tears pouring out of her eyes she slowly got up, her face distorted by pain and blind rage, her eyes cast to the whimpering form of the former team leader, now only surviving member of it. "T-Take the scroll. R-really. I s-surrender." He stuttered, totally frightened at the display of inhuman strength he had witnessed, paralyzed by fear. Chouji was slowly catching his breath, just as impressed by Sakura as the other guy, and was somehow ready to admit he was even scared by her. Her eyes were empty, her fists clenched, her expression deadly serious, despite the tears freely flowing down her cheeks. She had taken a few steps toward the other nin, intent on finishing the job, her grip on the kunai leaving her knuckles white. Then she flashed back to reality, and for a moment it seemed like she was fighting with herself to try and regain control of a foreign body.

Chouji kept watching Sakura, the realization slowly dawning on him as to the reason why she was in such a state. "Ino…" He whispered knowingly, but stood still, not trusting himself to make a movement without alerting Sakura. The other ninja had recovered enough to fish in his scroll bag and grab the scroll they needed out, ready to beg for his life if he had to. The atmosphere was almost just as heavy as when the Ematai had attacked them the day before, and Chouji let himself shudder at the reminder of the feeling. And then it was all gone.

The scroll rolled to Sakura's feet as the mist nin ran away for his dear life. Then the pink haired kunoichi fell on her knees, her body instantly wrecked with heavy sobs as she punched the ground in helpless anger. Her arms hurt from the power they had wielded, and her skin burned in many places from all the scratches, but the worse part of it was the pressure in her chest as she felt her heart literally tear apart at the thought of losing Ino. Her closest friend. The person she cared the most about in the whole world.

Chouji had jumped up the tree to see for himself, holding in tears. He just couldn't believe Ino would die that easily. Not that pig-headed ponytail girl he had gotten to know so well. He knelt down next to her limp form and pressed his fingers to her neck, swallowing hard in anticipation. "Sakura!" His voice raised up suddenly, holding a spark of hope. "She's got a pulse, it's feint, but it's there!" Sakura shot up from the ground, dirt covering her face now. At the mention of a pulse she was already up, the scroll placed in her back pouch in a mindless gesture. With Chouji's help she lowered the body to the ground, and then began to tend to the worse wounds with the little she knew about healing.

She soon found herself running out of chakra, the wound caused by the spear still open and profusely bleeding despite her best efforts. She started sobbing again, her gaze falling on the gloves that Ino had offered her two days ago. She thought of her friend's smile then, of all they had shared together. How they had come to loathe each other because of Sasuke, and how his departure had brought them back close to one another. She thought of how she had just killed a man – her first kill – and how she knew she wouldn't have done this for anyone else in the world. "Ino…" she whispered, not expecting an answer. She swallowed, Chouji's gaze now on her. "I love you, my friend." She finished, her voice faint, and her eyes still teary.

Chouji walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "You did what you could, Sakura-chan." He said, his voice soft, a bit shaky from his recent crying. Sakura shut her eyes, feeling that she was about to start sobbing again. But she stopped herself from giving up and reopened her eyes, resolve clear on her face. And she purged into every last bit of energy she had left to keep healing the inert Ino. Her body was aching all over, her skin burning from the over use of energy, and every last bit of fiber in her being begged her to stop, but she kept going. Up until she collapsed out of exhaustion, and that the blonde girl's life was finally out of danger.

Chouji kept watch that night, not even leaving the girls for much needed food. He kind of felt bad at being unable to do anything else to protect his teammates, who wouldn't be moving any time soon now. He spent the night thinking of his fight again, at how he had been caught off guard, how the fight with the staff wielder had strained him. He came to his own conclusion that he was weak, and had to train harder from now on, although it was a little late to feel sorry for it now that her friend - because in the end, he really cared about Ino - was in a critic state.

The next day went by smoothly. A very sore Sakura had woken up to let Chouji prepare some food and then get his own sleep. She had stayed up, alone, watching Ino sleep, her brain incredibly quiet, as if her inner ramblings could disturb the blonde's more or less peaceful sleep. She attempted a bit of healing on the girl's most severe wounds, but her chakra was still dry out and the most she could do was ease a bit of the pain by repeatedly soothing the girl's hair and whispering as her fingers carried the little energy she had left, leaving a tingly feeling in the place of pain, if only for a moment.

Came the night, she was drained, and utterly depressed. Chouji had woken up to find her crying and had hesitated before offering a hug as comfort, but it hadn't seemed to help. He had then chuckled, earning a despising glare from Sakura. "We got our two scrolls, and we can't move. Talk about irony…" He had said, half-heartedly. Ino was still sleeping, occasionally groaning in pain when her breaths were too deep. But as annoying as it was, the noise was comforting. "Let's just hope nobody finds us…" he had added after a minute of silence, Sakura still staring at him. The girls eyes narrowed at the words and she barely managed to hold her fist back from smashing into the boy's forehead. "That's not the kind of things you say out loud, baka!" The boy shook his head and shrugged in response, taking a bite of freshly cooked rabbit to show he wasn't superstitious one bit.

And indeed, nobody came to try and attack them, which the team was grateful for. After a bit of small talk, Chouji and Sakura had agreed that they'd try to move the next day, carrying Ino if she hadn't woken up. They both fell asleep that night, Sakura snuggled up with Ino, pictures of that morning the day before replaying in her mind. How she had just felt safe with her friend so close, and how knowing where her hands were had… _turned me on???_

**_Oh please Sakura. Come to your sense already!_**

_Meh, whaddaheck do you mean by that? _She started arguing with herself.

**_You're in LOVE baka!_**

_With Sasuke, thank you. I was aware of that!_

**_Oh yeah, that man, with his black hair, his charming face, his cold, distant, mysterious eyes. And that big…_**

_Gah shut the hell up I'm trying to sleep!_

**_You so know I'm right…_**

_About what? Is that such a secret that I like Sasuke?_

Her Inner self sighed, and so she did, unaware that the blonde in her arms had partly stirred awake, confused by the trembling of Sakura's body.

**_No, that's obvious to the blindest person that you like him. You're doing all this for him right?_**

_So what if I am? Is it wrong to have a goal to look forward to?_

**_Hasn't it crossed your mind that maybe you were doing aaaalll of this, for the wrong reasons?_**

_Shut up! If I don't become stronger, I won't be able to bring Sasuke back!_

**_So what? Sasuke left you here! And Ino was there for you. Doesn't that mean something to you?_**

Sakura tensed up as her own words - as separate as they seemed to her usual self - sank in and she realized the truth in them. But she was still oblivious to the now frowning Ino.

_Well, maybe I'm not doing this for Sasuke. But what's that got to do with the situation now?_

**_Oh my god you're so blind…_**

"Sakura?" Ino's weak voice jerked her out of her inner dialogue and she instantly snapped her eyes open, now witnessing the worried expression on her friend's face. "Are you okay?" Ino added, concerned, struggling to get the words out. Sakura's expression immediately shifted to concern as well. "I should be asking **you** that question, Ino…" She said softly, lifting her hand to brush her fingers on the girl's cheek tenderly, as she had been doing seemingly all day. It was dark outside, so she couldn't see the blush that crept on Ino's face, and the burns on her fingertips prevented her from feeling the sudden change in body temperature. But something in her felt… different at touching the blonde's skin while she was awake, and she herself blushed too. Ino's eyes sparkled in the moonlight. "I'm hanging on… Thanks to you." Sakura shook her head and cracked a sarcastic laugh. "You mean it's my fault if you're in that state." Ino's eyelids closed halfway, and then she reopened them, her eyes loving. "No, we're alive thanks to you, and you only." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it's sincerity filled the air around the two girls. Ino didn't let Sakura refute her answer and kept going. "You've really grown into a beautiful and strong flower, Sakura." The blush deepened on Sakura's face to a point where it was noticeable in the faint moonlight, and Ino chuckled despite the sharp pain in her chest it caused her. "Don't be afraid to admit it." She added, snuggling a little closer to her friend, a smile now drawn on her more peaceful looking features.

Sakura was about to say something, whisper a thank you… whatever her brain would let her lips say. But before she got anything out, Ino was once again asleep, her head positioned in the crook of her neck and her arm wrapped around the shape of her body. It was warm, and comfy, and for a moment she wished she could spend her life like that.

The next thing she knew she was awakening to a drop of rain falling on her nose. Then, before she could even yawn a good shot, it was pouring on the three defenceless shinobis. Chouji groaned and picked up their things before he even checked on the two girls. Sakura helped Ino sit up. "Think you're good to get to the tower?" She asked before pushing a strand of wet hair from in front of her eyes to get a clear view of the blonde's expression. Ino nodded. "Yeah, I think I can walk…"

The three of them were soaked to the bone in less time than it took them to be on their way. Chouji threaded in front of them, alert, while Ino rested most of her weight on Sakura who had her arm wrapped around her back, and walked slowly. They were starting to see the shape of the tower not that far from where they were, and that gave them hope. "Hey, maybe we'll make it without encountering anyone else!" Chouji let out happily. Both girls instantly glared daggers at him. And he chuckled at it. "Come on, it's not like there's a lot of people out there left, anyway. The chances that we'd stumble on anyone are like…"

"… Slim to none." Came a shallow voice from high up in the trees, completing Chouji's sentence. "Yeah, so we're lucky we found you!" Another, much more familiar voice echoed from behind them, soon followed by an enthusiastic bark. Chouji tensed. A part of him was mad at being proved wrong, and the other was just as ready as ever for a showdown, even if it was with friends. Hinata walked out of the forest on Sakura and Ino's right. "Uh, yes." She said, poking her fingers together in Hinata fashion. Shino jumped down from his perch in front of them, his bugs covering him from the rain. Sakura squared her jaw, if it came down to this, she would fight to the end.

A confident chuckle echoed from Kiba's direction. "Don't worry, we already have our scrolls." He said, releasing some of the tension. "Why did you want to find us then?" Sakura asked, genuinely interested. Hinata blushed and took a step forward, receiving a nod from both her partners. "There's this bunch of shinobis waiting near the tower to ambush anyone who would try g-getting there. We thought it would be s-safer if we t-teamed up with you guys to pass." She finished looking down, earning a raised eyebrow from Ino. "I wish we were of any help." The blonde kunoichi said, her voice low and broken. She was struggling just to stay up.

"Bah, then we'll help you guys pass. Least we can do for friends, right Shino?" Kiba's voice resonated clearly above the rain and Akamaru barked in approval. "Sure." Shino answered, and Hinata nodded her approval as well. This is when Sakura noticed the bruises the three other leaf shinobis wore – they weren't exactly in a good condition either. Chouji crossed his arms over his chest and eyed the three team eight Genins suspiciously. "I want to see your scrolls…" He said after biting his lip a few times. Shino and Kiba exchanged a look before flashing two distinct scrolls up for everyone to see, and then putting them back where they belonged. The Akimichi boy released a relieved sigh. "Can't blame anyone for being cautious." Shino admitted in his usual detached manner.

Just at that moment Ino's knees buckled and if it hadn't been from Sakura holding her, she would've fallen face first in the mud. "Ino are you okay?" Sakura's voice was full of concern. Ino simply nodded, clinging to Sakura's clothes trying to regain her balance. She ended up being lifted back to her feet by a struggling Sakura, that didn't have much more energy than she did. The effort extracted a few grunts from her and she had to use both hands to finally get Ino straightened out. Their heads had moved a mere inch away in the process and something just… clicked. Their eyes met and suddenly the chuunin exam was somewhere far, far behind.

"Err, are we interrupting something?" Kiba asked uneasily after watching the two girls for a moment. They seriously looked like they were about to kiss, and it was somewhat a turn on, but they had other business to attend to. Sakura was the first to blink out of the daze, suddenly a lot more conscious to all that was going on around her, how everyone was staring at them, and how the whole thing suddenly struck her as totally wrong. She pushed her body away from the blonde almost violently, and caused her to lose her balance once more, this time to fall in the arms of Kiba. Ino's eyes were wide, that was the last thing she expected from her friend. Sakura didn't even look at her though, and didn't notice the pure hurt that showed in Ino's eyes. _People are going to start thinking we're going out or something… Oh my god what if… No. She can't be… The flowers, the gloves, the hands in places… No. Way._

Kiba had straightened Ino up once more and was giving a puzzled look to Sakura, who shook herself out of her Inner ramble and returned his stare. "Hum…" Hinata's shy voice piped up, somewhat bringing everyone back to the plane of reality. "H-how about we g-go to the tower now?" Everyone agreed to that, and Kiba decided that he would be carrying Ino on his back so they could go faster.

They came within a certain perimeter of the tower within an hour, when Akamaru barked at Kiba to make them stop. "Okay. Hinata, what do you see?" He asked, renewing his grip on Ino, who didn't exactly enjoy her predicament, but liked it better than to be stuck with Sakura at the moment. Something had shattered in her although she couldn't put the finger on what exactly. She knew that Sakura was the cause of it, and she preferred staying away from her at the moment.

Hinata activated the byakugan and scouted their surroundings, frowning in more than one occasion. Shino immediately sent his flies to even better gauge the situation they were in. "There's three of them." Hinata stated, her eyes squinting as if she was making sure of what she was seeing. "One of them has an ext-extraordinary chakra." One of his flies came back to Shino and he nodded. "They're from Suna. The one with the immense chakra looks like a fighting expert. We can expect his striking force to be similar to Naruto's…" Hinata nodded and then seemed to hesitate. "The other t-two seem to be pretty low on Chakra though…"

Sakura frowned and looked from Shino to Hinata and back a few times. "Shino?" She finally asked, secretly hoping she was wrong. "What?" He answered behind his glasses. "Is there a way to verify if that guy can absorb chakra?" Anyone who was watching Shino right then could've sworn he had smirked, even though his face was barely visible. "That would explain what they were trying to tell me…" Kiba growled when he heard the confirmation. "We so don't need to be drained of our chakra…" He said, fishing in his shuriken pouch to take out a smaller pouch. He opened it carefully and took a pill from it, then chucked one at Akamaru. "Anyone else needs one?"

Everyone helped themselves at Kiba's reserve of military pills, immediately feeling better. Only Ino didn't have one, Sakura insisting that taking that now would only worsen her weak state. "We also need a plan…" She said as they started threading into the lion's den. Chouji's eyebrows knot together. "I may have an idea…" he simply stated, and everyone's gazes shifted to him.

After just a bit of explaining, everyone agreed to Chouji's plan, as… weird as it may have seemed. The task of carrying Ino went back to Sakura, and even though the pink haired girl debated protesting, she knew that it was the only way. In different circumstances, Ino would have enjoyed the piggy back ride. But Sakura's now apparent disdain made it all seem like it was the worse idea ever._What happened? Did she notice anything was off? Oh my god, what if she realized I tried to kiss her the other day? And here I thought that maybe she would be okay with this… Why?_ Ino sighed and tightened her grip around Sakura's shoulders without noticing, causing the girl to turn her way with a raised eyebrow. "Don't you dare drop me again, forehead." The blonde answered to the questioning glare. Sakura simply returned her focus to the task at hand.

"My bugs are in position." Shino crossed his arms over his chest again, waiting for everyone to get ready. "Okay, here we go, Akamaru!" Kiba nearly shouted, forming hand signs to perform his beast transformation, and in a second a huge twin-headed wolf was racing towards one of the opposing ninjas. Chouji ran just behind him, preparing an ultimate size duplication technique. Shino followed him as well, kunai in hand. Sakura and Hinata waited, and just a fraction of a second later, the kunai planted in the ground at their feet, signalling them that the way was clear. So they began racing towards the tower, shielding themselves from sight thanks to Chouji's size. Shino's bugs were attacking the guy with the most chakra, apparently neutralizing him for the moment. The two others were so busy with the relentless attacking pattern of Kiba and Akamaru that they never noticed the girls. In seconds they were through, soon joined by Shino and Chouji. Then Kiba landed into the wall and turned back to normal. The real teams reformed and after a nod they headed full speed towards their doors, the ambushers not knowing one second what in the world had hit them.

_Meanwhile, in the Hokage special loge, a few of the jounins were watching the action, and hardly believed what events unfolded in front of them._

"This is… Since when do teams team up together for such an exam?" Anko latched, suddenly getting up from her seat. Tsunade simply chuckled at that. "They passed using what they could find. I think that strategy was brilliantly…" Kakashi interrupted. "… stupid." Everyone in the room agreed. "I'm surprised it worked. I guess all of them are beyond exhausted." One pretty calm Genma stated, chewing on his senbon thoughtfully. "So, after that team from the Hawk village came walking in the sky, we get two teams crawling in… Anyone else left in the lot that could finish the exam?" Anko asked, casting a glance to Shizune in the process. The Hokage's aide's shifted her gaze from the action, remembering how she had reacted to seeing the Hawk team walk in the tower, and into the room two days ago. "How was I supposed to know he was the Ematai **kid**?" She shouted back angrily, getting up from her chair and squeezing her pig a bit more than usual.

"I think we all were surprised by him…" Asuma's voice came from the door. He had finished greeting his team and was sporting a proud smile. Tsunade shuffled through a few papers on the desk she was sitting at and sighed. "Considering those kids brought 4 scrolls instead of only two, I don't think anyone else will be able to complete the exam. It's over. Go find the remaining alive genins and send them home… Shizune, fill out the administrative papers and the death reports… And tell the medics to be on alert. Gai you're coming with me." She didn't even wait for protests and walked out, past Asuma, and down to the place where the three passing teams were waiting.

Sakura had laid Ino down and suddenly felt a pang of guilt at her attitude toward the girl. So she sat down next to her, just like they had done after their fight during the previous exam, but this time she was the one giving the warm apologetic smile. "We did it." She said, not sure what the blonde girl would answer to that. "Yeah, we did. Thanks to you and Chouji… and Kiba's team." Sakura frowned. "You helped too. A lot. You saved me at the memorial slab…" Ino scoffed. "Oh please. You had noticed him. You would've probably ended up with just a scratch." She sighed, and Sakura looked at her, her eyes full of concern. "I was useless." Ino trailed off.

Sakura bit her lip. She wasn't used to see her friend so down, and with so little confidence in herself. Something was off. And then she thought back to the forest, and all the little moments where things had just been plain weird. If it was what she thought, of course Ino would have been unable to concentrate fully on the mission at hand. She shivered at the thought though. Ino and her, together? **_Admit you would love that… _**Her inner self decided to interrupt, right then, but she kicked her far in the deep recess of her mind. She didn't need a part of herself putting doubt in her mind. She was in love with Sasuke, and he was the only one she'd want to end up with.

"What's on your mind, Ino?" She finally asked, after a long moment of silence. The blonde raised her gaze to meet her friend's eyes, expecting to see the disdain and disturbed glare from earlier. But all she found was love and understanding, and so she decided that it was now or never. "Sakura I… I-"

"Congratulations everyone!" Tsunade's thundering voice echoed through the big, empty room. "You all passed the preliminary chuunin exam!" she then added, her gaze surveying the three teams present with her. Sakura and Ino were sitting and leaning on a wall, with Chouji not too far from them, and looked incredibly exhausted. Kiba and Akamaru were at the other end of the room, apparently playing catch, while Hinata stood alone in her corner, dreamily looking at the ceiling. _She's probably thinking about that Naruto brat…_ Shino had his hands in his pocket and was looking straight at her through his hippie glasses. They had a few burns and scratches, but their main energy was not too affected.

And then there was the Hawk team. Iketetsomaru had his arms crossed, a look of pure boredom on his face. He was standing near a wall, but had decided that standing on solid ground was too normal for him, and was thus floating in the air, leaning on an invisible wall as well. Izlude had trouble standing in one spot, constantly shifting his weight from one foot to the other, the ground beneath his feet deformed by how much pressure he was putting into his steps. But that was nothing, absolutely nothing compared to the shock she had when she raised her eyes to find Hanmaru, hanging from the ceiling by his hammer and doing pull-ups with one hand, totally oblivious to whatever was going on down there. And what more, none of the three sported a single scratch. She turned to Gai, and found the same bewildered look in his eyes as she had. Well this was sure going to be weird.

"**I'D LIKE YOUR ATTENTION EVERYONE!**" She yelled, a vein bulging near her temple, as she tried to keep her calm. Suddenly, everyone was standing in front of her, almost saluting in fear of the Hokage's wrath. Save for the Ematai guy, who was lost in his own world. Tsunade decided to drop it. She wasn't in the mood to try fighting that kid. "As you can see, there are nine of you present here. The rest of the exam will be done next month, where you will all fight in a tournament. Until then, feel free to rest, train, or whatever fits your fancy. I'm not going to give you guys the usual speech." She then looked at Gai and extended her hand, receiving the tournament chart immediately. "First round will be Kiba Inuzuka versus Chouji Akimichi." She kept reading and frowned, not quite sure what to think about the following matchup. Worry for her student nagged at her. "Second match will be Sakura Haruno and Iketetsomaru Ematai." Both Ino's and Sakura's eyes went wide at that. The pink haired girl would have to go up against the strongest of them in the first round? Well that left Ino more chances of being better than her for once. "Third match…" Tsunade continued after taking a deep breathe. "Will be Izlude Asasenkou against Hinata Hyuuga… And last match of the first round will be Hanmaru Dasane versus Ino Yamanaka. The winner of the third match will then face Shino Aburame, and then the second round will begin. Unless one of you wants to drop out of course." When she said that she cast a glance to Sakura, who wore a very determined expression. Iketetsomaru chose that exact moment to come down with the others and raised his hand. "Izlude can't participate." He said, the surprise on everyone's face just faintly dimming. The small guy simply nodded. Tsunade blinked a few times and readjusted herself. "Then Shino will be fighting Hinata… "

And on that she waved dismissively at everyone. "You're free to go, if you need medical assistance there's a few medics over there." She pointed to two nurse-dressed guys holding a stretcher and then disappeared, soon followed by Gai. A very worried Shizune was waiting for them in the room. "I really don't like these Hawk guys…" she simply stated before flopping into her chair, massaging the bridge of her nose. Shizune sighed and dropped a huge file in front of her. "What's that?" Tsunade asked her, seemingly disinterested.

Shizune looked her sempai straight in the eyes and spoke in a low, hollow voice. "It's the Ematai file."

* * *

AN: O.o That chapter was a weird write. No seriously, it would flow one moment, and then I'd shift the action around and ended up blocked. I'm not much for action packed writing - and you got to admit its not easy to fit in some InoSaku moments when they're in such conditions. Now, as to Sakura's attitude. This is Sakura we're talking about. And she's still uber certain that she's in love with Sasuke. So of course, a part of her will grow colder, as she gets closer to Ino, in fear and denial and all that. I'm not just shifting her mood around. This is really how I believe things would've happened between them. Still want to say sorry for how the flow of the action might seem interrupted at some points.

Now, I have finally moved into the main plot, HA! (Chapter 7... gee how long am I going to make this?) But don't worry, plenty of InoSaku moments coming up (the next chapter is going to be almost solely about them! - that and the Ematai file), and well, apparently I'm on a roll so there might be an update before next weekend. Maybe. I want to thank all of my fateful readers, but most importantly DarkInu418 who's reviewed every single chapter of mine up to now, and who's fic Living With My Worse Nightmare has been a great source of inspiration to me. You should all go read it!

Also, I have an itch to scratch with an idea of mine, that I'd love to write about, just so I don't try to insert it within this fic cuz well... For one it would require me to change the rating (naughty naughty mind x.x) and secondly, well I don't wanna rush the story just so I can insert that um... special InoSaku moment, lol. Thirdly... well I'm usually a songfic person (all my chapter titles are song titles -.-), and a song-chapter in such a fic wouldn't fit at all... I just need a pretext for Ino and Sakura to be fighting over... that's not Sasuke. And I can't seem to find anything remotely interesting to be fighting over. So if you have any idea, feel free to chuck them at me (and review on the way :D). I already have the song picked though (Just in case you're curious... I Hate Everything About You by Three Days Grace - this song just sooo fits with Ino and Sakura, somehow)!


	8. Chapter 8 : Waiting

**Chapter 8: Waiting**

Ino woke up the next day in an hospital bed, the white sheets, walls and the sun filtering through the white curtains giving the room an eerie, unpleasant glow. She blinked a few times to get adjusted to the light and then instinctively brought her hand up to her chest and clutched the material of her clothes. The wound was almost completely healed, and the pain she felt was incredibly numbed, to a point where it was just annoying, but probably easy to forget. _I must be on meds or something… _She thought as she carefully flipped her legs over the bed in an attempt to get up. Her legs could at least carry her to the bathroom.

She padded her way back to her bed after splashing her face with cold water, and blinked a few other times, seemingly unable to wake up completely. She never saw that pink haired girl walk in the room, and as they bumped into each other, she cussed at herself for not being able to keep her balance. "Oh, Ino I'm sorry…" Sakura said, immediately kneeling down next to her friend and offering her hand to help her up. Ino took it and was soon on her feet, and then led back to sit on the bed.

"I should've knocked." Sakura said, sitting next to Ino. "Or well, I dunno, announced myself. But I thought you were still sleeping." She added, lowering her head, bangs of hair falling in her face. She wasn't wearing her headband or a ribbon, and Ino had to admit that it was a cute sight. "I should've kept my eyes open." She retorted, smiling warmly. Sakura smiled back at her and then went back to looking down at her lap, letting out a sigh. "Something wrong?" Ino asked, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder in a comforting manner. Sakura instantly shrugged the hand off, still keeping her gaze down, and Ino couldn't help but feel her eyes watering at this distant behavior. "You know, you can tell me anything… " she trailed off, Sakura's eyes suddenly meeting hers. They were fierce, determined, yet still weak. "Ino… what would you do if, say… A very close friend of yours would start acting strange, like real strange… " Ino bit her lips at those words, knowing they were about her. "And that you may think you've found out why… but really, really don't know… How to bring that up in a conversation?" Sakura continued, her gaze, once more, dropping to her lap.

Ino suddenly felt the sharp pain in her chest again. It was so bad she could barely breath, let alone speak. Sakura was trying to tell her, in a very indirect way, that she wasn't interested, at all. Memories of that conversation she had with her Inner friend that other day flooded her mind. She was not ready for that… Would she ever be?_Am I getting false hopes?_

"It's not what you think…" Her lips had formed the words without her consent, and Ino instantly kicked herself mentally for lying so badly. Sakura answered her with a sarcastic chuckle. "Oh right… So what is it then?" If possible, Ino's heart sank deeper at the vehemence Sakura had spoken the words with. Had she come to see her only for that? If she thought she was still sleeping? She shifted her own gaze down to her lap, nervously fidgeting with the material of her hospital gown. "Maybe it is." She finally admitted, still not trusting to look at Sakura. "So what…" Sakura swallowed, unsure if she really wanted to hear the truth. "What were you going to say before Tsunade interrupted yesterday?"

Ino sighed loudly. In the end she would really have to say this, even if the answer from Sakura was already clear. She just couldn't lie to her friend, couldn't hide it anymore. "I think I… I might be, y'know… In, well… " She wanted to curse herself for being unable to say it, her eyes were now shining from the tears she was desperately trying to hold in. And just when she thought she was about to break down, a small, soft hand came to rest in her back. "I'm in love with you, Sakura…" she finished, breaking into sobs in front of the inevitable. Sakura instantly pulled her into a tight, meaningful hug. One that would be as comforting as hunting, for it would probably be the last one, Ino thought gloomily. "Shh. It's okay Ino. I'm not mad." Sakura whispered, trying to sooth her crying so she could say her piece. Her heart was breaking at having to tell her the truth, but she knew it needed to be done.

After a while, Ino sniffled and pulled back from the embrace, her still watery eyes pleading Sakura, almost begging to be loved back. And Sakura nearly flinched. _I could tell her that I need time. And then… find an excuse. But that would be lying to her… I love Sasuke, and if he comes back and she's still hoping that one day… No. I need to tell her. Now. _"I um… You're a very good friend Ino, and you mean a lot to me. But I can't…" Ino interrupted her by raising her hand up. "I know." She simply stated, afraid that she'd start crying again. Sakura bit her lip and hugged her again, on the verge of tears too. Why did it feel so wrong?

"Sakura?" Ino's voice was shaken by all the crying, but she wanted to say this more than ever. The pink haired girl looked at her face and silently told her she was listening. "I want you to know that… No matter what. I'll always be there for you. Because I'm your friend, before everything." Sakura smiled and lifted her friend's chin up with one hand, gazing into these oh so beautiful turquoise orbs. "Ino…" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm still your friend too. No matter what." With that said, Sakura decided to kick her shoes off and sit against the wall instead of the edge of the bed, and motioned for Ino to join her. The blond agreed half-heartedly, knowing that somehow the closeness would just kill her. But the fact was that it didn't. Now that things were clear between them, being cuddled together felt a lot less awkward. And Sakura didn't seem disgusted by it anymore. "I wish you would've told me sooner."

Ino blushed at the words and sighed. "If only I had figured it out sooner…" Sakura nodded quietly and attempted a comforting smile, earning a giggle from Ino. "So, how's the wound?" She asked with genuine concern, her friend's giggling coming to a stop. "I'm alright, thanks to you. I guess I'll be good to get back to training in one or two days." Sakura smiled at her and then her face took on a superior grin. Ino's eye twitched. "What are you going to tell me now?" She asked, her curiosity piqued. Sakura beamed. "Tsunade-sama said she'd teach me a jutsu capable of defeating the Ematai guy." She grinned and felt the urge to stick her tongue out at Ino in a very childish manner. The blond had to resist the feeling in her guts that told her to latch onto that tongue and bite it softly. That would freak Sakura out for good.

Instead she took on a hurt expression and looked away. "I knew you'd be jealous…" Sakura said, in a tone that was a lot more serious than Ino had expected. "So I asked her if she wanted to teach you some stuff too." Ino's eyes grew wide as she turned back to Sakura, not quite believing what she was hearing. "Shizune said she'd do it, if you want to that is."

Ino's smile was incredibly bright as she took Sakura's hands and squeezed them as she did a little dance in her sitting position, unaware of the glare the nurse that had entered her room was giving her. Sakura was the first to notice they weren't alone anymore and hastily removed her hands from the blond's grip, causing her to stop and become very self-conscious. A deep blush settled over the bridge of her nose. "Excuse me, miss Yamanaka…" The short nurse, a lady in her late thirties, interrupted, clearing her throat once. "I'm here for your treatment… this should be the last actually." She continued, putting on a pair of surgical gloves and then playing with a syringe she fished out from her front pocket.

Ino gulped, wondering how many "treatments" had been done to her while she was sleeping. Sakura noted the uneasiness of her friend and then shot a glance back to the nurse. "Um, I could take care of it, Akemi." Sakura said, rising to her feet and smiling to the young nurse, who _finally_ recognized her. "Oh, Sakura! I hadn't noticed you were here. Well if you want to. Chakra healing is usually more effective than those chemicals, anyway." The woman added, smiling sheepishly, putting the needle back inside her pocket, and removing the gloves before grabbing a pad out of seemingly nowhere and jotting a few notes down. "You can go ahead with it then. If there's anything feel free to call." The nurse then left the room and closed the door, leaving a still gulping Ino and a suddenly nervous Sakura to a weird silence.

_Sure, Sakura's healing is better than a shot… But… She's going to have her hands over my chest… And pour chakra into me… That's going to be… _Ino blinked a few times, her gaze on Sakura's hands, her brain twirling some sensual images in the back of her mind. Then she snapped herself back to reality before Sakura found her staring. _Relax Ino. She just told you she doesn't feel that way. _She tried convincing herself, but her young body wasn't as tame as her mature mind. She found herself thoroughly excited at the prospect of the pink haired girl's hands… on her. Against her will. And she blushed despite herself.

Sakura realized what she had just said she'd do, a bit late. _If anything, that's either going to torture Ino, or me… And why do I actually **want** to do this?_ She shook her head to try and shake the ideas out of her mind, but there was this tiny voice in the back of her head, this voice she had tried to suppress because of how detached to her reality it had been since the incidents in the forest of death.**_Do it. _**Sakura let out a sigh, and then looked at Ino, noticing a blush on her face and frowning. Well of course the blond would be blushing at the thought of what would happen next. "You know you… don't have to… " Ino shook her head as vigorously as her current state allowed her to. "It's fine forehead. Better than the shot!" Well after all, it was still awkward to get close to the blond, Sakura thought.

Ino had laid down on the bed, her arms crossed over her stomach, frowning as she wasn't sure what exactly would happen next. Sakura sat down next to her and rubbed her hands together. "Well, it's not like it's the first time I do that for you." She tried to release a bit of the tension. It seemed to work. "Yeah, and this time you don't have to save my life." Ino mocked as her eyes fell once more on those pretty, perfect hands. They glowed slightly from the Chakra Sakura was pouring into them, and they soon were put on her chest. At first it revived the sharpness of the wound, memories of the spear piercing through her flashing before her eyes as her back arched and she winced in pain. Sakura bit her lip as she pressed harder on the girl's chest to try and keep her in place. She had a good idea of how, in her current awake state, Ino could be reliving the whole thing. She also kept silent at the fact that she could feel and see it too. It was a side effect of their connection being so strong, but it also allowed easier access to the nerves and cells that needed healing, so it was a fair trade. Sakura focused on the task at hand the best she could, and eventually Ino calmed down as well. The whole process only took a few minutes.

Ino's chest was tingling like mad when Sakura withdrew her hands and smiled at her. The numbness caused by the meds was also wearing out, and she found herself feeling a whole lot better. She sat up and stretched, yawning a thanks to her friend, who ruffled her hair in return. "Training with Shizune should be fun." Ino said, causing Sakura to giggle. "What did I say?" The blond asked, frowning. "Well you see, Tsunade is feared and all, and Shizune looks really nice. But she can be a lot worse than the Hokage if she wants… " Ino's frown turned into a questioning glare, but in truth, she really didn't want to know.

She shrugged it off after a moment and smirked. "So, how's that stressing you to be going against the strongest of all the participants?" She asked confidently. Sakura's smile turned into a grin. "Tsunade thinks I have chances of beating him. She's not as confident about you versus Hanmaru though." The reply stung to Ino's pride. Since when was Sakura held in such a high esteem by their Hokage? "Pfff, what makes her believe that?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes. Sakura, instead of finding the words that would work Ino up some more, sighed. "She doesn't. She wants me to drop out…"

Once again the face of Ino shifted, this time to a concerned frown. She looked at Sakura who had her eyes cast down and her legs dangling on the side of the bed, her hands balled together in her lap. Without really thinking, Ino reached out and put one hand over Sakura's, causing the girl to look up at her. "Well, I'm kind of worried about that too… But it wouldn't be as much fun becoming a chuunin without you…" That was an honest statement, and Sakura couldn't help but smile. "Then I'll make sure not to disappoint you." She answered, and Ino winked at her. "I'll do my best as well, then."

They kept talking for a while, until a certain rumble from Ino's stomach made itself known. "I guess we should go grab a bite." Sakura was already up, with her feet in her sandals before Ino could even agree or protest. Was she supposed to go out? "Um, I'll get my clothes and I'll catch up to you at the entrance?" Half-asked the unsure girl, and Sakura nodded. "Yeah, we do that."

They headed out of the medical center at a steady pace, Ino surprised she could manage to follow her obviously hyper friend. _What in the world is making her like that? She was all depressed just a while earlier. _She frowned as she was led inside Ichiraku and practically forced to sit at the counter on a stool that was pretty unstable. "Two miso-ramen, please." Sakura asked, sitting next to her, a broad smile gracing her features. Ino frowned, something was just off. "Um Sakura?" she asked hesitantly. "What?" The pink haired girl turned to her and Ino couldn't help but smile back. Damn this smile was contagious. "What's with being so hyper all of a sudden?"

Sakura frowned for a second, apparently deep in thoughts. "I'm just happy, I guess." Ino giggled and shook her head. "Happy about what?" Sakura resumed her smile before answering. "You acknowledged my skills. That's new." Ino's first reflex was to laugh, but as funny as that statement seemed, it also held a part of truth. She had realized that her friend was getting better and better, and she wouldn't admit it to the world, but she was afraid that her friend would become better than her – if that wasn't already the case. _But that's going to change, because Ino Yamanaka is going to get a medic training, and work really hard so she can beat that Hanmaru…_ "Don't get too used to it, forehead." She said confidently. Just at that moment a girl came in with their ramen and put the bowls down in front of the two girls. Ino immediately grabbed her chopsticks and started eating heartily, under Sakura's amused gaze. "It's on me for today." The pink haired girl said as she paid the girl. Ino couldn't protest with her full mouth, but as soon as she swallowed the lump of noodles she glared at Sakura, who shrugged in return. "I'll pay you back one day…" The blond muttered under her breath as she took another mouthful. Sakura heard her and smirked. "Oh but I'm counting on it."

They finished their meals and sat at the counter speaking about stuff they couldn't even remember afterward, the kind of small talk that fits girls their age. The subject of clothes was once again brought up by Ino, who insisted that they'd find a new outfit before the tournament. And Sakura mentioned a haircut, arguing that it was getting in her way, and that now that she didn't have anyone to impress, she preferred it short. Ino scoffed at her, not understanding how hair could get in the way, hers now reaching the middle of her back, looking as shiny as ever despite the hospital bed stay. Then Sakura remembered about something. "Oh, we were supposed to go see Tsunade when you woke up… I totally forgot about that!" And once again the blond found herself being dragged through the streets of Konoha by Sakura, unable to protest once more. _Jeez, what would it look like if we were together?_

They finally reached the Hokage's office, after a stroll that Ino wouldn't forget. All these kids that looked at them funny, all the grown-ups that were shaking their heads. It was really weird to be looked at that way, just because a pink haired girl had decided that they were using ninja speed when there really was no rush. Her perfect hair was even disheveled from all the sudden turns they had taken to go through Sakura's 'shortcuts'. _With a bit of luck… _Sakura thought as she glanced over at Ino before opening the door. _She's going to be so freaked out by my attitude that she's going to forget she ever was in love with me._

They were greeted in by a pacing Tsunade and a worried Shizune that tried to calm her sensei and friend down, with apparently little success. "Hum, we came as soon as we could." Sakura announced, taking a step forward. Tsunade didn't even notice and bumped into her student full force, sending her flying into Ino, who managed to catch her in time. The impact seemed to shake Tsunade out of her oblivious state though, and she decided to sit on the edge of her desk, Shizune offering the apologetic smile in her place. "It was about time…" the Hokage muttered, her eyes cast on the file she had just read over for the hundredth time. "What did you want to see us for?" Ino asked, helping Sakura find her footing at the same time, a sheepish smile on her face. Tsunade glared at her for a second, then her gaze shifted to Sakura, and finally she sighed and looked back to her desk, where she grabbed a bottle of sake. Shizune took that as a hint that she was supposed to start the whole thing. "There are a few things about the Hawk village team that we felt you had to know about…" She trailed off, noticing that Tsunade didn't seem very happy at the fact that her bottle of sake was empty. "I'm sorry Tsunade, that was the last one, I'm going to have to go downtown to get more…"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes for a moment, her gaze more or less focused, and then she sighed and put the empty bottle back on her desk. "We'll deal with that later. Let's just go on with all the info. I'll let you speak Shizu-chan." The woman giggled at the name she had given her friend, and then shook herself back to seriousness. Sakura began to worry about how important that information was. "Well, what are you waiting for girls, take a seat!" Shizune said as she herself sat down on the bench in the far corner of the office, soon joined by the three other women. "I think I'll start with the personal history of the Hawk Team… First we have Izlude Asasenkou, son of the late Izumo Asasenkou, the man believed to be the fastest ninja to ever put foot on this land." She paused, letting the fact sink in. Of course, everyone in the Academy had learned about the great Asasenkou. "The same man who decided to switch sides during the conflict fifteen years ago. Izlude should be about seventeen by now, and his abilities are rumored to be just as great, if not better, than his father's. There isn't much more about him than we know, except that he seems to have a taste for gore, battles and killing. The perfect assassin."

Ino and Sakura glanced at each other as Shizune took a breath before she continued. So far it wasn't anything they didn't know. "Hanmaru Dasane is the only male survivor of the Dasane clan, reputed for it's, how should I put this… Destructive chakra properties. His sister Yukiha is supposed to still be alive, probably as a kunoichi in Takamura. They are probably seventeen or eighteen." Sakura raised her hand shyly when the sentence was over, earning herself a raised eyebrow. "When you say _destructive chakra properties_, what do you mean? We never heard of the Dasane clan in class." She said sheepishly, and to everyone's surprise, Tsunade decided to answer. "He can infuse his chakra into almost anything, providing the items with, well, explosive striking strength. He's every bit like Naruto, loads of chakra, but close to no control over it. One clean hit by his hammer would probably mean the death of anyone."

Ino gulped at that bit of information. And she was supposed to fight that guy in the first round of the tournament? "The last one has more of an history…" Shizune said, interrupting Ino's line of thoughts, her eyes cast on the file still quietly lying on Tsunade's desk. "Koroi-su Ematai was the leader of a once very respected clan of Konoha. The Ematai warriors were brave, fearless, and strong. They're clan's special jutsu, that they call'_Wind walking' _is pretty fearsome for they can materialize close to any particle of air around them with their chakra, to either create barriers around themselves, or use anything for support to dodge or make an attack. But that's not all. Their bodies contain so much chakra that they have to perform seals on the babies so they don't go all berserk when they can't control it." Everyone's attention, well except for Tsunade's who had heard this a hundred times already, was on Shizune and the facts she was explaining, not doubting that this was supposed to be secret information.

"An Ematai's power was usually judged by the number of seals they had. Chakra flood seals that are commonly called _fangs_. The more fangs, the more powerful one is. Koroi-su was a six fang. When removing the seals, his chakra was so dense it formed a black aura around him, it was crazy." Shizune shivered at the distant memories of what had happened a few years ago, and took a second to look at her sensei, silently asking for the right to continue. Tsunade simply nodded, her eyes betraying her fear. "It was all good as long as he was on our side. But back then, the Ematai clan was so strong and feared that at some point, their cockiness led the authorities to believe they had betrayed the country, and most of their members were slaughtered one night. The few that survived ran away to found the Hawk village, Takamura. They were followed by a few of their _friends_ and soon took the upper hand in their part of the battles. Spies confirmed that their plan was to wait until the war was over before they'd blast a hole through Konoha's skimmed defenses and take control of everything. Their own justice, as they'd call it. We couldn't let that happen, so we sent a squadron of ANBU's and some of the best ninjas to try to solve the matter."

Shizune paused once again, now shivering, and both Sakura's and Ino's face got distorted by the thought of what could have happened to the elite ninjas sent to what sounded like a certain death. Tsunade decided to pick the story up at that point. "Their first plan apparently failed, Konoha had word from a messenger that they were going to try something else… That day, ten of our most valuable men died in a suicide attack against the Ematai clan. But as their deaths drew near, they executed the back-up plan. And blew up _everything _along with themselves. Apparently, 'everything' didn't mean the children of the village. Iketetsomaru had just received his seals… He's an eight fang."

Sakura's eyes grew wide as she stared at her sensei at the mention of such power. _I have to fight a guy that's stronger than a bunch of ANBU?!? How the hell am I supposed to **survive** that?_ Tsunade shook her head softly and kept talking. "According to the records, he'd be sixteen now. Unlike the rest of his clan, he never learned to release the flood seals, which means that, although he's probably one chakra control freak, if he does so by accident, he would most likely lose it. And that in itself is pretty bad. But he's also got a special kind of dojutsu that he inherited from his mother… The kooringan, or Ice pupil. Little is known about it, but it would apparently allow him to read the mind of his opponents… Or even control them."

As Tsunade trailed off, Ino couldn't help but growl and then get up nervously. "In other words, this guy is a frickin' god?!?" She nearly yelled, her eyes pleading Tsunade for a confirmation that he was not, that he had a weak point and that Sakura wasn't running to her death by going up against him. If that was the case, she'd gladly back up from her own fight, just to make sure her friend was safe. She was about to start pacing when Shizune interrupted her. "No. First, the power of his chakra would most likely burn him to ashes if he triggered the seals. " Well that was encouraging, seeing as he'd probably blow up everything at the same time. "And he's not… how should I put that? Well… His village wants a peace accord, so they won't be killing anything during the exam. " _So much for good news… _ Ino sighed and slumped her shoulders in defeat. She was about to open her mouth to tell Sakura to resign when Tsunade put a hand on her shoulder. "There are two genin that could hold a decent fight against him in this village. The first one being Neji, because his gentle fist could break through the chakra barrier. The second is Sakura, because she's the closest to his level of chakra control, and can figure out some way to beat him at it." The Hokage's eyes were telling a whole different story to Ino, but the words did have an effect on her. "Ha, well if forehead has a chance of beating him…" She let out, casting her glance to Sakura. "Yeah, I'll try my best." The pink haired girl answered, forcing a nervous smile.

Tsunade smiled as well. "I'm sure you can do it, Sakura." She said honestly, Shizune nodding next to her, the same nervous smile on her lips. The four women were then silent for a moment, immobile, looking at each other. "So…" Ino finally broke in hesitantly. Everyone gave her a questioning glare. "I can understand that we need to know about our opponents before the tournament, but why were we told about all that info I assume is top secret?" She asked, perplex. Shizune nodded to Tsunade who got up and walked to her desk. "Because starting today, you two are on a mission for the village." She simply stated while shuffling through a dense pile of papers that laid next to the file. She seemed to find what she was looking for and raised her head to speak again. "When you're not training, you have to watch over the Hawk ninjas and report any suspicious action to me. I'm not saying you have to seduce them or anything. Just… keep an eye out without looking suspicious."

Sakura and Ino shot glances between each other, eyebrows knitted in amusing patterns as they went over the possibilities to 'keep an eye out' on a trio of boys _without_ seducing them. Especially _them_. The next month sure sounded promising.

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They were soon dismissed for the rest of the day, being it was already late in the afternoon, and they were both still recovering from the events in the forest, with a strict order to be up before sunset the next morning and ready to train their brains out.

Sakura was walking slightly in front of Ino, silently, occasionally tugging at her dress to keep it down, but it was no use. The material was too tight around her and it made her feel uncomfortable. "You look like you've gotten fatter, Sakura." Ino mocked, a playful smirk crossing her face. She had the same problem though, growing up sure had ways to be annoying. "You're not much better, pig!" Sakura retorted, turning around on her heels and coming face to face with the blond girl – a lot closer than she had expected to be. Then time suddenly froze as they stood there, their faces merely a few inches apart. Ino's heart was beating wildly, as a few fantasies of hers crossed her mind, causing her whole body to shiver. _I can't just take advantage of the situation like that, can I?_

Sakura wasn't even thinking, her brain was stuck. Her eyes were gazing directly into her friend's, seeing what she was afraid to see there: all the love and confusion she couldn't face. She didn't want to face. A tiny voice at the back of her head was cheering on the situation. **_Kiss her! Do it! She wants to, she's not going to hate you if you do!_**

Before the moment could be broken, soft lips tentatively pressed against Ino's, who's eyes first grew wide at the realization that she was being kissed, and then shut as she let herself kiss back, softly, not quite daring to move any more. Sakura had closed her eyes too, surprised that she was actually enjoying this, and leaned into the kiss some more. Then their lips parted as the two girls stared at each other, not quite believing what had just happened. Ino was just on the verge of tears, not sure if she had to be happy, or scared, or mad at Sakura, for lying to her, maybe? Sakura was just as confused. Okay, maybe she really cared about Ino, but not _that_ much. She liked boys, not girls, and the ideas twirling through her head made her almost sick.

People around them started whispering, the real world coming back to the girls as fast as they had left it. Then a little boy broke into sobs, his mother trying to comfort him, shooting a death glare at the two girls that had confused him so bad. It was at that moment that total realization hit Sakura. She couldn't stand being there anymore, no words came to her. The only thing her brain could tell her was to run, and so she did, turning squarely, and sprinting towards wherever her legs would take her, successfully evading Ino's hand that had attempted to stop her from going.

The young Yamanaka just stood there, under everyone's stare, her hand still reaching out to Sakura who was now far gone. Her eyes shed tears she couldn't control, trailing down her cheeks and falling down her chin, onto her clothes. She was literally shattered, but her face was not sad. Rather, it looked loving, compassionate and understanding. _I'll wait for you, Sakura…  
_

* * *

**Oh my god!** that was by far the hardest chapter to write so far. I don't know, I've been like, frickin hyper all week... and I couldn't help but be contagious on Sakura here. I tried rewriting the first part, I think I have like, three different versions. In the end I came back to the first one, go figure lol. I decided I was ending this fic after the tournament - before Naruto comes back, or exactly when he comes back. 'Course, I have plenty of ideas that would allow me to continue it further, but I'm afraid I won't have the time, or I'm going to lose the spirit here before I'm through with everything. There is still at least 5 chapters left anyway, lol. If I really feel like it, I might make some kind of sequel. But judging by the low number of reviews I have, I don't think it would matter to a lot of people, anyway.

I'm sorry for taking so long to update, other short fic kind of got in the way! (I just couldn't for the life of me use my idea in a fic where the girls are 13, seriously...). The funny part is that, in just a bit over a week, said shorter fic got over half the hits this story has since its started. Makes you wonder if it'd be worth to rate a story M just so some people read it xD.

Oh, and I love reviews, reviews are like cookies to me, they feed me and make me smile!


	9. Chapter 9 : Echo

**Chapter 9: Echo**

Sakura was still running, not really paying attention to where she was going, and so eventually she bumped into someone. "Oh, so-sorry." She muttered, tears stinging her eyes as she stopped and looked up to who she had collided with. "Um. You okay?" A slightly familiar and hollow voice asked her. She blinked, trying to chase the blur away from her vision, and then looked at the man in front of her. His dark hair, the striped long-sleeved jacket, those glacial blue eyes… She instinctively took a step back, ready to run away in the opposite direction, her face scrunched up in pure fear. Coming face to face with the Ematai in the middle of nowhere was _not_ a safer place to be than back with her feelings and confusion.

The boy frowned, glanced around for a second before he looked back to Sakura, a hint of concern showing in his features. "Haruno Sakura, right?" He asked after a moment, the tone of his voice a bit warmer, but still distant. Sakura nodded slightly, afraid to make any brutal move, which caused Iketetsomaru to giggle. He smiled faintly, if at all, but it was enough for the atmosphere to become bearable and Sakura to relax, if just a bit, relieved that he wasn't going to attack her, yet.

"You okay?" he repeated, taking a step closer to the girl and raising an eyebrow. Sakura tensed up again, feeling his gaze on her was… weird. "Not really." She finally answered, the tears at the corner of her eyes finally slipping free of their bonds. She felt bad for crying in front of a stranger, stupid even. What could he understand, and why did he even care? "Want to… talk about it?" He offered shyly, a slight blush creeping on his face as he scratched at the back of his neck sheepishly. Sakura merely blinked again.

"Yo, Ike!" Hanmaru Dasane's voice was heard from a distance, and the expression on Ike's face immediately switched back to his cold, distant self. He shot one last glance to Sakura and sighed before replying. "Coming Han!" And then he was gone.

Sakura sighed, partly in relief, but more in defeat than anything else. She looked around to find that she was near the training grounds, where she had spent so much time with Naruto, Kakashi and Sasuke back in the days. Those days were far past gone now. They'd probably never happen again.

Then memories of the past months came back to her. She had been fairly happy, even without them. And Ino was everywhere in those memories. Sparring under the sunset, sitting at the pond and talking, fighting together against Shikamaru and Asuma… _I just did the stupidest thing of my whole life…_ She thought as she started walking, her goal set on a peaceful spot she knew was nearby. _But I'm still not sure if the stupidest thing was kissing Ino, or running away…_

She finally came in sight of the small pond in which the setting sun reflected beautifully, the trees being more sparse around the water spot. She sat against a tree where she remembered spending some quality time with Ino, back when she was a kid. They talked about boys, and flowers, and anything just sitting here and enjoying the landscape, as well as each other's presence. "I wonder…" she thought out loud, knowing she was alone. But her voice gave up on her right then. _Is Ino alright? She must be in so much pain right now… Oh my god what am I going to do?_

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Ino had finally wandered off, still feeling like crying, but not really wanting to keep that up in public. Her steps had simply taken her home, and she was kind of glad to find her bed and her stuff, and relieved in some way that her parents still weren't home. She laid down on her sheets, grabbing her pillow and hugging onto it tightly, allowing tears to flow down her cheeks once more as she replayed the moment in her head over and over again. It was no dream, Sakura was the one who had kissed her, giving that first kiss she had reserved for Sasuke for oh so long to her, the best friend turned rival and now again friend. She touched her lips softly, remembering how it felt to have Sakura so close to her, sharing something that was much more than just friendship. She had had doubts, that maybe she was just misinterpreting stuff, that it was a phase and she'd pull through it and fall for another boy. That it was all that bastard's Sasuke's fault for putting chaos into her feelings like that.

She sighed and started sobbing quietly, wondering why things had to be so hard, why she had fallen in love with her best friend, of all people. And why the pink haired girl couldn't return her feelings - yet. _Why did I have to be a lesbian to begin with? I shouldn't even have those feelings for a girl! Right? … No! _ Ino elbowed her bed in frustration, causing herself to bounce off the mattress for a few seconds. She stared at her window, her eyes glistening still, the sobbing slightly receding allowing her to breathe normally. _What am I even angry at? **She**'s the one who kissed me. That means that she **does** have feelings for me… _She sighed and squeezed her pillow tighter, her eyelids slowly closing as she passed out. The world became a blur and she drifted off to a world where her and Sakura were happy together.

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An uneasy feeling woke Ino up the next morning as she promptly released her pillow and sat up, for a moment racking her brain trying to figure out what exactly she had forgotten. _Oh shit, I'm going to be late for training! _She jumped off her bed and ran around her room to find clothes to wear to realize that the only decent clothes she had left were the ones she had on, and slept with. She looked down at herself, straightened her shirt out and tugged at her tight pants. Nope, she couldn't go training with those on.

After frantically looking around for something - bandages, shorts, joggings – for a couple minutes she took a glance at the clock and her whole body literally slumped. _I'm not late **at all…** _She shook her head and sat on the bed, remembering how she had fallen asleep in the afternoon the day before, and a totally different bad feeling took residence at the pit of her stomach. "Sakura…" She whispered, memories of yesterday flooding her mind. She shivered at the feeling of Sakura's lips on her own, and then shook her head. _Man today is sure to be awkward…_

She took a last glance around her room and sighed before getting up and heading to her parent's closet – her mom wouldn't be mad at her for borrowing some old clothes, or so she hoped. But as she shuffled around she came to the dreaded realization that all of her mother's proper clothes were missing, and that all that was left that could be decent for training was… _A pair of baggy shorts? When did my mother ever wear that to begin with?_

She arrived at Tsunade's office still a bit early, kind of glad she hadn't crossed paths with nobody she knew on her way there, her current outfit far, very far from her usual fashion requirements. She stood outside for a moment, wondering about how the day would turn out. She was a bit absorbed in her thoughts when Shizune greeted her. "Hi Ino! How are you doing?" She said cheerily, as Ino jumped slightly in surprise. "Oh, hi Shizune…" she hesitated a second before adding "…-sensei." The dark haired woman giggled and smiled at her, apparently not even making notice of Ino's change of clothes, to the blond girl's relief. Shizune was carrying a bag apparently full of equipment and struggled trying to get the doorknob, so Ino stepped up and opened it for her, earning a quiet thanks as they both stepped into the deserted office. "Tsunade and Sakura should be here any moment now…" Shizune said while putting down the stuff on the desk and eyeing a pile of paper that was still to be taken care of from the day before. "You'll start the day with them, I have a few things to take care of first…"

Ino winced, she had somehow hoped they wouldn't have to work together yet, not really ready to face her friend again. But she had agreed to the deal, and if she had to do it to get stronger, she'd do it, if anything, to show Sakura that it was not a loser that had declared her love to her. "By the way, nice choice of clothes. Sakura's going to be cussing if she decides to put on a dress today." Shizune added to the once again spaced out Ino, a shy smile at the corner of her lips as she started rummaging through the paperwork and she sighed audibly at the amount of work in front of her.

The door of the office banged open once more, nearly slamming into Ino, who managed to side step just in time to also dodge a very out of breath Sakura. The pink haired girl stopped short of crashing into the desk and spun around to face the door, releasing a sigh of relief as she noticed Tsunade wasn't there yet. Shizune looked up from her papers to her and giggled. "You should take an example on your friend and get ready early instead of always barging in here like a tornado in hopes you're not late."

That is when Sakura noticed Ino was in the office. She shot a glance at her, then immediately looked away, a slight blush creeping on her cheeks. Ino offered a shy 'hello' and blushed herself, taking in Sakura's outfit. She had traded her usual dress for a short red tank top that covered her only down to her midriff, exposing the surprisingly toned muscles of her stomach. It had white patterns matching the ones on both the sides of the small red skirt she was wearing over her eternal bike shorts. Ino then noticed that the girl's left leg was bandaged, as well as her right arm, something she hadn't noticed the day before… or didn't have any reasons to. She frowned and took a step closer to her friend, fighting her instincts that told her to reach out to the girl and pull her into a hug.

"What happened Sakura?" Ino asked in genuine concern, pointing at the bandages covering her friend. Sakura shrugged and looked at Ino, now only noticing that she was wearing a black shirt and blue-striped silver shorts that… sure didn't look like her usual self. "I could ask you the same thing." She finally said, happy at her comeback. Ino blushed some more and averted her gaze, internally growling at her situation. Sakura caught the expression on her face and immediately regretted saying it though. _Ino's always been so self-conscious about her looks, and she was worried about me. That was just plain rude of me… _She sighed and bit her lip, thinking about how she could say sorry, without having to explain her situation. And then the door _once again_ slammed open, Tsunade stepping into the desk in a zombie-like manner, muttering to herself about this or that bad reason to be up so early. Then without a word she picked up the bag of equipment Shizune had brought in and shot a glance at both girls before walking out, Sakura closely following. Ino didn't take any chance and followed along, as they went outside and into a wide grassy area behind the building. The sun was starting it's climb in the sky and the ground was still humid from the chilly night, drops of morning dew sparkling under what promised to be another nice day in Konoha.

Tsunade didn't even bother saying hi, she just dropped the bag on the ground, picked up a few pieces and chucked them at the two girls, watching them intently. "Well, are you going to put this on or not?" The two girls obeyed, rather thrown off by their elder's attitude, leading them to think something was wrong that morning. It was some kind of armor they had to put on, or more like, pieces of armor, pads that went over their arms and legs, but wouldn't alter their movement too much.

Sakura finished putting everything on first and frowned, noticing that the equipment was a lot heavier than usual. "Hum, Tsunade-sama?" She asked shyly, pounding the ground to test the fitting of the equipment. The older woman looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were supposed to start off with the dodging exercise, right?" Ino, who was just finishing tying the last pad over her left arm, turned to Sakura with a wide-eyed expression. "We're going to dodge stuff with this on?!?" Tsunade merely chuckled at her students and took out two long metal tubes. "I'm putting a new twist to your training. You will both have to face opponents that are way faster and stronger than you are. The only way to survive will be to be faster, stronger **and** wiser than them. So, let's work on making you faster and stronger first!" She said, throwing a tube to each girl and watching them struggle with the sheer weight of it. "Here, I have to go do a thing or two. You two just try to hit each other without being hit until I come back." She was about to walk away when her eye twitched and she bit her lip in thought. Then without warning she started forming hand signs and summoned a slug in front of herself. "Here, Shiga will watch over you. Don't stop, and don't overdo it!"

In a cloud of dust, Tsunade was gone, leaving both aspiring chuunin girls to a stare fest, as they tried keeping the tubes in hand. The slug moved toward them, slowly, but surely, and they soon figured they had better start moving before it decided to do something nasty to them. Ino smirked as an idea crossed her mind, and suddenly she was wielding all of her equipment fairly easily, dashing at Sakura at a pretty decent speed. The pink haired girl caught on and started malaxing chakra as well, and they both fought at equal strength for all but a minute, until they realized a strain much different than physical exhaustion. "What the hell?" A panting Sakura asked as she stopped and leaned on the metal bar for support. An equally exhausted Ino imitated her, their earlier predicament forgotten for the moment, both of them focusing on the training. "That equipment... it's... draining our chakra." Sakura huffed, her chest heaving as she felt that most of her energy was leaving her. Ino blinked in realization and squared her jaw, her body slowly moving into a fighting stance. Before Sakura could even react, she was swinging the pole at her friend's shoulder, the weight of the weapon forcing a speed beyond what she had intended at first. It struck on a pad of their battle armor, but the impact sent Sakura flying, only stopped from going anywhere far by the weight she carried on her.

_God when did she get such a striking force?_ Sakura wondered as she rolled on the ground, trying to regain her footing as Ino took a few steps toward her, the metal bar safely resting on top of her shoulder as she looked down at her. "You okay forehead?" She asked, frowning in concern. Sakura managed to stand up just at that time and lifted her weapon up, ready to strike again. So many people had asked her that question in the past two days that she just didn't want to answer it anymore. They exchanged blows for a moment, the sound of metal clanging on metal, ground, or the huffed cries of pain and surprise when they were hit filled the early morning atmosphere around them, and a few kids headed for the academy even stopped nearby to watch the sparring match with piqued interest.

It didn't take too long for Sakura to get a grasp of the required technique to move around with all the equipment on without overstraining neither her chakra reserves or her body functions. Just the right amount of chakra, directed with just the right timing, was enough to give her an edge over Ino. Forced to retreat back, the blond started focusing more on dodging than attacking, and somehow her body adjusted a bit better to the charge she was carrying as every hit coming her way seemed to slow down just a tiny bit more than the previous one. After a while she felt safe enough to try attacking again to discover that she was the one getting an edge now. She frowned, wondering why it was so because obviously Sakura had seemed to understand some technique to move around easier, probably dosing her chakra in a way she just couldn't. _Why am I winning then?_

Sakura recoiled badly from the last hit she barely managed to block, stumbling backwards and struggling to not lose her footing. But her body was not answering anymore, she felt like her every pores hurt, burned badly, and her limbs were even heavier than they should be. She tried to yelp or something to tell Ino to stop, knowing that she couldn't take another hit like that, but her voice was caught now. The metal bar was headed directly to her head, and she realized way too late that the equipment she had on would **not** absorb all the shock from that one. After all, Ino didn't think she was currently as helpless as she was.

The world turned upside down, or actually, it was her who was thrown completely off balance by something she didn't see. The weapon she was holding was now out of her hands, flying somewhere in Sakura's head's direction, or caught in mid-air by something, she couldn't tell. All that she could sense at the moment was how heavy her body was, and how fast she was falling toward the ground. At the very last moment she managed to roll around to minimize the impact, exhaling deeply once she hit the grass. It took a moment for her vision to return to normal, as she stopped on her back, looking up at whoever had decided to jump to the rescue, not really understanding what in the world was going on.

Sakura was on the verge of blacking out, her equipment forcing an intolerable pressure on every single muscle of her body. She saw the piece of metal fly by over her head, only a few inches from her face as it went clinging on the hard ground a bit farther, and somehow managed to take support on her own so as to stand up as straight as she could manage, her eyes falling on Ino who had been pushed to the ground by… well she didn't know what exactly.

"Ouch." A growingly familiar voice uttered from a few feet beside the two girls, his back turned to them as he stood, shoulders heaving from the effort he had just pulled to prevent the two girls from… getting hurt? "That was a death shot, Yamanaka." He then added, turning back and flashing a tentative smile at the blonde. Ino shook herself from the ground, rising to her feet without all that much trouble, her stare locked on the dark haired man who had just… _prevented me from killing Sakura?! _ She frowned and walked toward her friend, still not sure about what all was going on. _I seem to be confused a lot lately… _As soon as she reached her, Sakura dropped the metal bar and fell into Ino, the added weight once more taking Ino by surprise and sending both girls to the ground in a lump of limbs. "You should take those off of her." The hollow voice of Iketetsomaru resonated through the air, sounding much closer than he actually was. Ino frowned, but listened to him and helped Sakura removed pieces of the equipment, unaware that Shiga the slug was right there beside her, and about to slap her tail at her. Somehow, the Ematai was faster than her and ran the distance between him and the slug in an instant, his foot safely leaning on the animal's body in a silent warning, his eyes glowing ever so slightly. The animal obeyed and lowered it's tail.

Sakura removed the breast-plate like piece and took a sharp breathe, her lungs burning from the exhaustion as she did so. Ino glanced at the guy once before putting her hand on Sakura's shoulder and looking the girl in the eyes. "You okay Sakura?" Sakura merely nodded, noticing the way Ino's chakra, or what was remaining of it, flooded through her while she was dry out. The blonde probably didn't even notice that though, and she dismissed the feeling. _It's not like it means anything._ She thought as she proceeded to removing what was left of the equipment now that she didn't feel like she was going to faint any minute.

"That's equipment for physical training." Iketetsomaru was kneeling beside them and eyeing a piece of the armor Sakura had just tossed aside. He then shot a glance at Sakura and smiled. "Using your chakra to move around with that on is pretty much suicidal." Ino raised an eyebrow as the facts hit her. She had always been better than Sakura on the physical side of things, so of course, if Sakura had been draining herself to gain an edge, at some point she was bound to tire out completely and Ino would come out victor by the simple fact that she still had chakra flowing through her body as well as working muscles. But then again, none of them would've expected it to be this dangerous to actually be using chakra with that suit on, Tsunade should've at least warned them.

Sakura finished removing the rest of the armor, the information slowly sinking in. _So the point of that training was to see if I could stand a physical fight without using chakra? And I pretty much… failed._ She bowed her head in defeat and sighed, her cheeks flushing slightly from the shame she felt at not understanding this. Ino was about to just wrap her arms around her and tell her it was alright, and then she remembered their predicament and sighed inwardly, her eyes leveled at the other girl's, waiting for her to look up. "Sakura…" she whispered softly, fighting the temptation to reach out and raise her chin so that she would look at her. Iketetsomaru simply stood where he was and watched them with interest, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I'm such a failure…" Sakura broke down and threw herself into Ino's arms, tears already streaking her cheeks. The blonde could only react by hugging her tightly, words of comfort being really hard to find. She shot a quick glance at the guy still kneeling a few paces from them, just to make sure they were safe. But the Ematai survivor didn't budge, nor did his presence seem threatening whatsoever. He was still watching them curiously, but that was all there was to him being there. The kids had all gotten back on their way to class.

"You are not, Sakura." Ino let these words out as if they meant so much more than they actually did. But it only resulted in Sakura sobbing harder and mumbling about not being able to hold her promise into her padded shoulder. Ino bit her lip and tried to think, her hold on Sakura unwavering. "Yeah you're right…" She said after a moment, causing Sakura to sniffle and pull back slightly to look into her eyes. She met a icy blue steeled gaze doing so. "You're weak, you're lying to yourself." Ino's voice was hard, calm, although the girl was breaking down inside at what she was saying. "I shouldn't have expected you to hold that promise you made back then." She wanted to cry, but she knew that this might be her best chance to get to the pink haired girl and show her just how much she cared – by breaking the bond between them right there and then, so Sakura could realize just how much she herself was hurting. She knew it wasn't fair, but at the same time, she hoped Sakura would understand. "I don't understand why I even bother hoping you'll come to your senses."

Sakura's eyes glistened, but she wasn't crying anymore. She was just frozen in space and time, the only thing she heard or felt were Ino's words, and how much they hurt. It stung at every pore of her skin and twisted her guts to a point where she felt sick. "I don't understand why I ever fell in love with you!" That was the last blow, Sakura knew it. And so she wasn't surprised when Ino let go of her, tossed her equipment aside and left without saying anything. There was nothing left to say.

"That was harsh…" Iketetsomaru sat beside the crying Sakura, his face showing a hint of concern, but his eyes remained their usual distant icy blue. He looked at Sakura and faintly smiled. "I'm sure you can prove her wrong though. In fact, I think that's exactly what she wants…" The pink haired girl sniffled and looked back at him, surprised to find understanding in his features. The man knew nothing of them, yet there he was, offering his advice and caring – or what seemed like it. "I'm looking forward to our match, Haruno." He simply stated, shifting his gaze to the horizon, his smile never leaving his face. Sakura looked in the same direction and saw Tsunade approaching, so she quickly proceeded to drying her tears and regaining what she could of her composure. When she looked back to where the Ematai had stood, Shiga was there in his place, giving her an inquiring look. Sakura sighed and shook her head, hoping the slug would understand that what had just happened was not to be told to Tsunade. _Especially the part about Ino loving me…_

"What the hell happened Sakura?" Tsunade asked as she came within earshot of the young kunoichi. Sakura's eyes fluttered close for a moment as she gathered the energy required to stand up, which she did without too much trouble. Her body was responding to her once more. "I just… I overdid it I guess…" She answered sheepishly, trying to avoid the disapproving glare from her teacher. "Shiga, is that the truth?" Tsunade's voice sent shivers down Sakura's spine as she asked her summon for a recollection of the events. She braced herself to having the whole truth revealed, the voice of the slug resonating in her mind. "After beating Sakura, Ino left to go find Shizune I think. They really gave their all though." Tsunade nodded and dismissed her summoned creature, a dark look crossing her face. "This is what I suspected." She began, staring her student up in down. "You rely too much on your chakra. That'll be the loss of you if you ever come across a chakra absorber opponent. We're going to have to redo your physical training…"

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Ino was fighting the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks as she kept walking away from Sakura, not too sure where she should go next. It was obvious she couldn't go back to her and Tsunade now, but she still needed training. And so waiting for Shizune was probably her best option. She slowly made her way to the office where the dark haired woman was still busy with the paper work, and hesitantly knocked on the frame, the door being slightly ajar. "Yeah?" The soft voice came from behind the door, sounding just a tad annoyed. Ino pushed the door slightly and stood in the door, trying to suppress the feeling of guilt that was probing her guts since she had walked away from Sakura, and put something resembling a smile on her face. "Oh, Ino. Not with Tsunade and Sakura anymore?" Shizune asked, flipping a piece of paper over absently. Ino flinched slightly, not sure how she should bring the matter up. "Well, there's…" No other word came, she simply didn't know how to put it. _It's not like I can just go and say I made her… cry? That'd be so childish… _Shizune had lifted her gaze from her work and was staring at her intently, and Ino nervously shifted under her gaze. "We had an argument and… yeah the training didn't go that well. So I'd prefer, y'know, just not having to train with her… yet?"

"Oh." Shizune blinked once and then smiled warmly, gesturing to the empty space beside the desk she was sitting at. "Fine." She said, apparently in for short worded answers. "You stand there, and try to produce green chakra." One of Ino's eyes grew bigger as she stood there, bewildered. "Uh… how?" She asked, while her feet carried her to the spot she had been designated to. Shizune simply shrugged as she signed yet another paper. "It's different for everybody, but it's the basic of the training I'll be giving you…" She sighed and eyed what was left of the paperwork. "You have until I'm done with that to figure it out. It only took Sakura five minutes, y'know. If you can't do it in an hour, you're just not cut to be a medic."

Ino blinked a few times as Shizune put her focus back onto her work as if what she had asked was the simplest thing in the world. The thought of Sakura pulling this off easily was just enough to tick her off and make her step onto the feeling of guilt she felt for what she had said earlier. All that mattered was producing this damned green chakra. She tried concentrating the flow of her energy into her palm, and at any moment, there were glints of blue showing. Sparks of electric blue, just like her eyes. _Well, blue's always better than red, right?_ She concentrated the strength of the flow more, slowly growing aware that her chakra reserves were painfully low. At the lack of reaction, she grunted and pushed harder, causing an orange aura to surround her hand if just for a moment, instantly burning her skin in the process. She whimpered softly, trying to suppress the gasp of pain as Shizune turned her head toward her. "You're trying too hard. Remember, you want to heal with that chakra, not blow down Orochimaru." The dark haired woman stated, as if it was all _that_ obvious. Ino bit on her lip, the exhaustion caused by the last few days resurfacing and making her edgy. She had to keep her calm, and that thought alone made her angry.

"If it can help..." Shizune added, as if on second thought. "Think of someone you hold dear, how if they were hurt, you'd want to comfort them." Ino relaxed and her eyes opened slightly wider, as the realization hit her. Then she saw how close to finishing Shizune was and gritted her teeth in apprehension. This was probably her last chance. She closed her eyes and thought about warmth and comfort, and unsurprisingly, images of Sakura appeared in her mind. How the pink haired girl had gotten to mean so much to her was a mystery, but she knew she was in pain at the moment, and that she had to do her best to show that, if anything, their friendship was worth it.

It sparked, only for a second, her hand lighting up in a warm, emerald glow – Sakura's eyes. Ino giggle and smiled at her accomplishment, as little as it was. Shizune smiled at her warmly as she put away the last paper in the pile. "I knew you could do it."

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Sakura grunted as she finally completed her hundredth lap around Konoha, wearing the chakra shielding gear Tsunade had forcefully put back on her. She felt like every single muscle in her body wanted to give in under the sun's heat and the effort she was making, but somehow, it didn't provide any relief to the ache in her heart after what Ino had said. She felt… _guilty for not holding onto my promise like I should have? Why does it hurt so much that she'd say such things to me? It's not like it's the first time she tells me she's better than me… _

"That's enough Haruno." Tsunade's severe voice echoed through her skull as she came to a stop, her breaths short and ragged as her lungs screamed for more air. Sakura was just beyond exhausted. She cringed at what was coming next, knowing that when her sensei was calling her by her name, she was either mad at her or going to put her through worse. None of the options seemed appealing right now, if they ever could be. "Take it all off." It came off as an order, but the Hokage's voice was softer now, as if she'd regretted her earlier tone. Sakura simply obeyed quietly, putting all of the equipment in a neat pile at her foot. When she finished she looked back up at her sensei, and met a stern glare. "The bandages too…"

Sakura cringed and proceeded to removing the now sweat and blood soiled protections from around her limbs, revealing two huge gashes that had been poorly treated, if treated at all. Tsunade frowned at the sight, trying to remember if they had been there during the chuunin exam. "How did you get those?" She asked, reaching out for Sakura's arm and apposing her palm over the wound, immediately starting to pour chakra into it and beginning what would be a painful healing process. Sakura blushed in shame and looked down, afraid to look her sensei in the eyes. "How did you get those, Haruno?" Again with the formal naming, Sakura wasn't out of trouble yet. She shuffled her feet on the ground, brushing the tip of her sandals on the dirt covered ground and winced as she started feeling her skin reconnecting.

"I fell, last night, after training." Tsunade wasn't really buying that, and she let her student know as she jerked a bit more chakra to the wound she was currently healing, causing Sakura to gasp. "Okay, I did that **during** training…" The pink haired girl breathed it out, her voice barely above a whisper, her cheeks reddening in shame. Tsunade edged her face closer to her, waiting for Sakura to look up, which she reluctantly did after a while, her blush deepening. "How?" Was the only question that escaped Tsunade's lips as she stared her right in the eye, a glow of motherly love passing through as she tried to keep her composure. Sakura tensed up slightly, her breath catching in her throat. The realization of what she hadn't done - healing herself - crawling up to her, along with sobs she had buried in since Ino had left. It was just too much to hold in, and she threw herself into Tsunade's arms, crying like she had only cried when Sasuke had left. And then again she didn't think it could compare.

"I… hurt, so much…" That was all she needed to say. Tsunade wouldn't ask anymore questions for the moment. She held Sakura close and sighed, imagining what kind of pain would drive her to do that to herself. Sasuke sure wasn't worth it all. The only other person that would mean so much to Sakura besides him was Ino, and Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the prospect of what the other girl could have done to her student… Oh, she was going to regret hurting her.

* * *

**Please don't hurt me! **I hadn't planned on so much... angst? Yeah. This chapter was kind of a filler type of chappie, with no real substance, but some character development. At first I thought I'd throw in the tournament and then flashback on training, but that pretty much did the job, I think. Now isn't Ike such a mysterious guy:P Oh yeah, and concerning Sakura's cuts - they have a reason, and it's not her own doing. I'm not telling more!

Now I know that took a while (well 2 weeks, still decent in my book), but life's been taking a few interesting turns lately for me, and I hardly have time to write anymore. The fact that also had another side idea (Throwing the Naruto chars into the BTVS universe, kind of vv) doesn't help. But I'm not gonna pick up the other idea fully until this fic is complete, promise!

Oh yeah, I wanna thank all the readers again, as well as my faithful reviewers. I love reviews! And i'm glad to see that my story is appreciated Sure lifts my spirits up!


	10. Chapter 10: Everything To Lose

**Chapter 10: Everything To Lose**

The days had passed with both of them training, and totally avoiding each other. Sakura had gotten over most of the pain, and focused on getting stronger, her resolve renewed with the need to show Ino she was wrong, if anything. She had had a talk with her sensei, and finally let the whole thing out, to realize that she, in fact, really had feelings for her best friend. And as much as it pained her to see how the blond, when they saw each other, turned her head away in disdain, she knew she deserved it for being such an idiot and refusing to see the truth that was right in front of her. Instead choosing to pursue a lie that had gone miles away and abandoned her. But she was very inclined in showing her friend wrong, and perhaps, maybe, winning her heart back.

Ino had learned a few of the basics of medical jutsu, but soon Shizune had figured it wouldn't help her win her duel against the Hawk nin, so they had focused on her strengths instead. It was a whole new Yamanaka that walked into the participant's quarter that morning, wearing high black sandals, a pair of loosely fitting pants that went down to barely under her knees tied to her waist by her forehead protector, and a mesh shirt covered by a small dark purple tank top. The shirt went down to about her belly button, and the sleeves about midway to her elbows, and the top was simply covering her breast. She had traded the white sleeves on her arms for a purple wristband on the left, and a fishnet protection around her elbow, and she wore a shin protector only on her right leg. Her long hair was tied into a ponytail, but her eternal bang was still in her face, and she simply glowed, earning all of the other participant's gazes. Kiba was even drooling at the sight, which earned him an elbow in the stomach from Hinata, and as he turned to his teammate and gasped in pain, Ino couldn't help but smile at their interaction.

Sakura soon walked in as well, and all the eyes immediately turned to her as they gazed in wonder at how much the pink haired kunoichi had changed in just a month. Her hair was now short and looked more lively, and she still wore her headband like a ribbon. She had a tight black shirt covering her upper body with a red vest halfway zipped up over it, just the tiniest bit falling over the gray medic skirt she wore over a brighter red, slightly longer skirt. Tight black shorts were completing her clothing under it all. She wore the gloves Ino had offered her, the ribbon still around the wrist of one, although it now seemed like it was holding on for dear life. She wore her usual blue sandals, but they were covered by shin guards that matched the color of her medic skirt. She had grown at least a good inch since the exam, and the effect of maturing also shown in the overall shape of her body. The determined look on her face surely added another touch of maturity to it, so much that the thirteen year old girl was no more a kid. Ino couldn't help but stare at Sakura, which earned her a stern glare from the woman. "Something wrong with my outfit, Ino-pig?"

The blond shook her head no, still awed by what she was seeing. There was no doubt, she _still_ was in love with Sakura, even after a whole month apart. Their eyes met and they held each other's gaze quietly, until Sakura was the one to avert her eyes, a slight blush creeping up her cheeks. "Ino, I…" She started, but was interrupted by loud cheers coming from the stadium. Genma stepped in the room soon after, chewing on his senbon as if he was bored out of hell already, gesturing for the genins to walk out into the open to please the crazed crowd.

The eight aspiring chuunins were now standing in the middle of the arena, Genma reminding them of the order of the fights, the rules and everything else, in a tone that left no doubt he didn't feel like repeating that shit again. After he was done, which seemed to take an eternity, especially to the two kunoichis that kept glancing at each other while the other one wasn't looking, anxiously awaiting the beginning of the event so they could let some steam off, and show each other how much they had improved, he turned to the crowd and announced, in a clear and loud voice, that this was the beginning of the first round of the chuunin exams, with for starters, a match between the dog loving Inuzuka Kiba, and the food loving Akimichi Chouji. He then turned back to the students and smiled slightly, before waving all of the non-fighting kids back to their quarter, concentrating on the two that were going to fight. "You guys ready?"

Kiba smirked and nodded, Akamaru barked enthusiastically, and Chouji huffed and took a fighting stance. The show was ON. Kiba didn't waste time and immediately used his Way of the Man jutsu to turn Akamaru into a replica of him, lounging at Chouji from both sides, the grin never leaving his face. He had traded his usual hoodie for a lighter jacket that didn't catch in the wind, and that sure helped him speed up even closer to the much slower Akimichi boy who only managed to block the attack coming from one side, taking the other full on and recoiling badly from the strength of the strike. It was power and speed against power and size.

Kiba didn't stop at just that and was already forming hand signs on Chouji's side while Akamaru kept his opponent occupied. No longer than three seconds later, a gush of wind struck the whole arena as a wolf-like creature zoomed through the body of the poor Chouji, who simply had no time to react, or so it seemed. However, his clone dissipated when Kiba hit and no later than a half second later a giant ninja was standing in the stadium and smashing the wolf with all it's might. Barely evading the attack, Kiba and Akamaru's jutsu dissipated as they regained their footing not far from where the attack had happened, wearing the same smirk from earlier on his face. "I like that Chouji, show me what you got!" He shouted, ready to attack again now that Chouji's size was going back to normal.

"Chouji's going to lose…" Shikamaru walked into the area from which Ino and the rest were watching, hands in his pockets. Ino blinked at the sense of déjà vu those words triggered, and then narrowed her eyes at her teammate. "You guys have no confidence in each other whatsoever, or what?" Hanmaru, who was leaning on the ramp not far from her humpfed, his eyes on the action below. "I betcha he thinks the same fer ya. " He said, mockingly, his eyes glinting as he met Shikamaru's gaze. But the Nara didn't hook on the bait and simply closed his eyes. "You're wrong. I think Ino can win." He said, as calm as ever, his arms crossed over his chest. Hanmaru straightened and took on a smug expression, the bandana over his eyebrows lifting with his eyes opening wider. "Wanna bet, looser?" Shikamaru simply shrugged and shook his head. "I don't have time to waste with such a childish matter."

Hanmaru gave him a death glare and was about to withdraw his hammer when Iketetsomaru's hand slapped the back of his head. "Dobe, keep your energy for your fight." The shaggy haired taller man sighed and rubbed the back of his head gingerly, trying not to meet his teammate's gaze. "Sorry Ike." He muttered, his attention back on the fight below. Shikamaru frowned and turned to Ino. "Why the hell do these two remind me **so** much of Naruto and Sasuke?" He whispered, close to the girl's ear. She raised an eyebrow, took a look at the two hawk nin and turned back to Shikamaru. "They **are** similar. But somehow I have the feeling… I don't know, but that Iketetsomaru guy looks more… human than Sasuke." She shot a glance down to the stadium where Kiba was beating the guts out of Chouji as he was nearly unable to counter the relentless attack pattern of his two opponents. "Why do you think Chouji will lose so bad, he still hasn't shown half of what he can do!" She asked her friend. Shikamaru leaned back on the ramp and shrugged. "Might sound weird coming from me but… I just know, you know?"

Just as he said that, the whole crowd gasped as they saw Chouji literally disappear from view, shrinking at an incredible speed. Everyone turned their attention back to the fight as they saw hints of huge body parts flashing here and there, forcing Kiba to revert back to defending himself as he couldn't see where the attacks came from, nor where the real Chouji was. Ino smiled at her teammate's comeback – she knew he could show some to dog boy over there.

"That's it, Chouji's lost." Shikamaru stated, his eyes more or less focused on the fight as he leaned over the ramp beside Ino. The blond gave him a death glare but said nothing, if anyone knew Chouji, it would be him. And despite the fact that Chouji had seemed to keep an ace for his fight, she started to feel like Kiba might have just the trick to work against it.

A few smoke bombs were thrown down in the arena, coming from seemingly nowhere in particular. Kiba still had his eternal grin plastered on his face, somehow the only thing Sakura could notice of the fight going on down there, her mind wandering into other, much less physical territories. Sure, the tournament was exciting and all, but she couldn't push the thoughts about Ino away. The blonde was leaning against the rail, right in the corner of her vision, and she looked as… _sexy as ever_. A cloud of different smoke formed in the already covered area where Chouji and Kiba were, the Inuzuka boy and Akamaru disappearing inside of it. But Sakura's attention was not on the fight anymore, as Ino had gasped at the sudden turn of events, unaware that the pink haired girl was staring at her muscles rippling, and the slight bounce of her breast. Sakura sighed quite audibly as the thought of _Must. Not. Think. About. Ino… _replayed in her mind, her eyes now shut. She was the next to fight, she had to stay focused. She couldn't let her newly discovered feelings get in the way here.

A loud "Oooohhh!" made her reopen her eyes not long after however, just in time to see an undoubtedly knocked out Chouji fly across the arena and land in the dirt ungracefully. His traits were sharper than usual, his technique probably had used a whole lot of energy, eating at his body fat just as bad as the pills he had used during the Sasuke rescue mission. Ino's shoulders were now slumped as she was admitting defeat to Shikamaru's intuition, sad that her teammate wasn't going to make it past round one. Kiba was standing in the dissipating smoke, his right arm raised in a victory sign, Akamaru proudly standing on his shoulder and barking as the crowd applauded the more or less fantastic come back of dog boy. After all, the only thing everyone had seen was smoke – which would probably give him a few good points for not revealing the secret of his technique. "The winner of the first match is Inuzuka Kiba!" Genma's voice resonated through the stadium as he signalled for a medic team to come and take care of Chouji.

Sakura gulped. The first match was over, it was now her turn to go down there and show the world – especially Ino – how strong she had gotten. Without even looking at anyone who was there, she started making her way down the stairs when a familiar voice called her from behind. "Hey, forehead!" Ino was standing a few feet from her, smiling faintly, squinting under the sunlight. She turned around and faced her friend, wondering what all the blond had to say to her – she was expecting something simple, like good luck. "Show him what you've got." Ino said confidently, the smile on her face growing brighter. Sakura smiled back and nodded, somehow feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Ino didn't hate her. "Hai!" She shouted, making a run down the stairs and into the arena, where Iketetsomaru was already waiting for her, the Ematai having used the way of the air to go down, as unphazed by the world around him as usual. He was standing still, his hand halfway extended, smiling in an intricate way at his opponent. Genma was watching both of them and suddenly realized he hadn't announced the fight.

"Hmm, the next fight will oppose the strong and pretty Haruno Sakura and the sole survivor of the Ematai legacy, Iketetsomaru!" He shouted, eyeing Sakura from his spot and slightly shaking his head. He probably believed she wouldn't last long against someone of the Ematai's renown. Resolve was written all over Sakura's face as she crossed the few last steps to where the examinator and her opponent were standing. Ike stretched his hand further, as if he wanted to shake hands, so Sakura reached out and hesitantly grabbed his hand. He had a strong, yet gentle grasp, and his ice blue eyes sparked ever so slightly as he squeezed back. "Good luck, Haruno."

The crowd was raging now, wanting the action to start, unsatisfied with the way the previous match had turned. Sakura suddenly felt really nervous and blushed slightly, averting her gaze from the older man's as she whispered a shy "You too". She then took a few steps back and took on a fighting stance, knowing it was too late to review her strategy one last time. She could only hope that her plan would work. "Okay, when you two are ready." Genma said as he took a few paces back, somewhere where he would be safer.

Ike didn't move, so after just a few moments of staring him down, Sakura decided to attack, quite intent on making him drop the careless attitude. Ino's voice rang in the whole arena over the cheers of the crazed spectators. "Let's Go Sakura!" The pink haired girl smiled as she heard her name being shouted and put just a bit more strength into the punch as she had first intended, not sure if her opponent would dodge. However, Ike didn't budge, letting her hit him straight in the face with a strength similar to the one that had destroyed the cranium of a mist nin back in the forest of death.

Her fist connected in a ground-breaking noise, but instead of flying past him after the impact, her fist stuck where it was and she lost balance, her arm shuddering from the impact. She flipped to the side and managed to regain her footing just in time to dodge a kick aimed at her chin, thanking her opponent's careless attitude for letting her recover fromher first mistake - and the last, she hoped. _So it IS true, Iketetsomaru can use his chakra to shield himself from any physical attack, just like Gaara's sand. I dont have much of a choice..._

Ike was now attacking relentlessly, using his chakra wall technique to bounce off of anywhere onto Sakura, who had a lot of difficulty just making sure he wasn't hitting any vital parts. Ino was gripping the ramp tightly and had her teeth clenched. _Come on Sakura, you can do better than that right?_

The pink haired girl finally countered her opponent, bending low and digging her nails in the ground, effectively twisting herself and sliding behind him, her free hand loaded with Chakra – a different kind of power. The lessons she had taken with the Hyuuga's, mainly Hinata, were fresh to her memory, and her fingers were charged with a power destined to break through a chakra barrier, rather than hurt the opponent. And for that she didn't need the byakugan.

The strike was clean and effective, the gasp of pain that Sakura could hear from the backward spinning man in front of her was a proof of it. His elbow was aimed directly at her chest, but Sakura was faster than him and side-stepped before sending a round kick at his face while he was off balance, using the same technique as before. The contact was violent and he lost his footing, barely catching himself on air before his back hit the ground. He used his arms to flip backwards and back into a standing position, and took on a different fighting stance, his eyes now looking more focused, more determined – colder than ice.

Ino was cheering in her corner at Sakura's display of ability. For the first time in a few days, she was genuinly smiling, and it made her feel light and confident. If her friend's training had given such incredible results, hers would most probably be sufficient to be promoted chuunin this year. Shikamaru who was still standing next to her looked a lot less enthusiastic, but that wasn't new.

Back in the arena, the two opponents were staring each other down, unsure about who would make the first move. Sakura was thankful for the physical training, her reflexes were much better now. But she was still slightly nervous, and that wasn't playing in her favor. Losing patience, she moved first, planning to strike an open palm at Ike's chest. However, as much speed as she tried to drive into her limbs, the Ematai just doubled it, evading each attempt, and finding himself in a superior attacking position once again. Just as Sakura was recoiling from blocking a high punch, he jumped to her side onto his left hand, extending his leg with the momentum to hit her in the ribs, and send her flying across the stadium, and into the wall near the Hokage's chair, the impact producing a loud cracking noise as pieces of the wall collapsed around Sakura's body.

Ino leaned over the ramp in shock, her eyes wide as she stared at the spot where Sakura had been just a half second ago, and then traveling the distance to where she had collapsed into the wall. Tsunade was up and leaning over the rail where she was too, concern written over her face as she barely held a desperate cry for the pink haired girl. She shouldn't be having a favorite in the tournament.

But Sakura was still conscious, and although she knew she had two or three broken ribs after the strength of the last impact, she knew she couldn't stay iddle and wait for Iketetsomaru to come back after her. So she slowly lifted herself off the ground, a hand on her side in an attempt to temporarily fix the wound, her eyes alert, catching the glowing of the two "fang seals" under his left eye as he stared at her and smiled. A few hand signs later, the two marks were fully lit by an electric blue flow of chakra, and somehow, the Ematai man looked taller.

The genin girl frowned at Ike's action. Just as her sensei did. _I thought he couldn't release his seals himself. So either he's learned how to do it this past month, or that's something… different. Regardless of what he's doing, I can't keep up with his speed. I have to break those…_ She shot a very quick glance at Tsunade from the corner of her eye, and earned a slight nod from her sensei, who's eyes showed a bit less worry. Sakura's hands joined in front of her chest and she relieved herself from the chakra manacles that had been binding her since the third day of her training. Now was the time to see if that jutsu had indeed increased her physical speed, leaving chakra enhanced speed to later use, if it was required.

She dashed back at Iketetsomaru almost immediately, leaving a cloud of dust where she had been standing. Ignoring the pain coursing through her body, she started trying to strike his chest again, as he parried every single one of her attacks as if he was simply reading her mind two or three seconds in advance. The exchange of blows was still spectacular to the naked eye, both of them were going really fast and equally gave and took hits. Ino was left gaping.

Then something weird happened. Sakura literally stopped in her track and froze when Ike's elbow was going down on her skull. The impact sent her face first to the ground, the rest of her body soon following in a loud thud. Genma was ready to declare a winner as everyone in the stadium was now silent at how the battle had turned out. Had the Ematai been playing all along and finally had decided to go at it seriously? This time Ino had fear written on her face as she screamed her friend's name. It was a pleading cry for the girl to be alive, and surely enough, the pink haired girl heard it.

It was hard, her head hurt so bad, and every single part of her body felt heavier than usual. The way raising her head made her feel nauseous, she figured she had some kind of concussion. Nothing severe, but it would most probably not help her win. She struggled to lift herself off the ground, blood filing down her skin from her nose and the corner of her mouth, clogging with dirt, giving her a sinister look, only lit up by the determination in her eyes. _I… can't… lose. _

Iketetsomaru was standing in front of her and smiling bitterly, apparently disappointed in what he was seeing. As Sakura got to her feet, he put his hand up, palm facing her, and suddenly turned it into a tight fist. The action caused Sakura to double over and cough out some blood, as she reeled for air. "You don't understand Haruno, do you?" He said, his voice strangely calm, and incredibly distorted. As if a part of him was… _He's inside my head!__ Shit, i've got to get him out!_

**_You called? What's the matter, why was I waken up from that…_**

_Get him out of my mind!_

**_Talk about manners! I was having a sweet dream about that sexy blonde…_**

_Get him out otherwise we're both dead!_

The crowd was holding in their breath as they were watching the action – or lack of – below. Ino's eyes were wide as she stared down, as oblivious to what was happening down there as the rest of the crowd was, until she remembered what Tsunade had said about the kooringan Iketetsomaru wielded. _If he's in her head trying to control her mind right now, he's in for one heck of a surprise._ A smirk crept on the blonde's lips as she relaxed a bit, Shikamaru's eyes now on her. "You're happy that Sakura's lost now?" He asked, confused. She giggled and looked at him for a second, shaking her head softly. "You're wrong this time Shika. Sakura's going to win."

A smirk similar to Ino's was growing on Sakura's lips as she raised up again, to Iketetsomaru's surprise. Her hands joined together in hand signs, and by the time it took him to realize he had lost control over her body, she was done preparing her next jutsu. "Doton – fudou Sakura No Jutsu!" _(Earth Element – Floating Cherry Blossom Jutsu)_ She yelled, feeling the need to show off the name of her new, self created Jutsu. Even Tsunade hadn't seen that one. She slammed her left hand at the ground before Iketetsomaru could reach her, and a piece of the ground raised up in front of him. By the time he had jumped over it, Sakura had had the time to raise a few more walls, completely circling with solid dirt.

She saw Ike bracing himself and trying to avoid something invisible to the naked eye, and that's when she knew her genjutsu had worked. The only thing left to do was to attack for real. In one hand sign, she caused the blocks of earth infused with her chakra to blow up to pieces, sending them Ike's way in a barrage that she knew matched the patterns of the cherry blossom petals that were attacking him. Sakura knew that she now had only one thing left to do, seeing as the pieces of dirt would only confuse her opponent for a moment: she had to strike the final blow. Her jutsu would probably have diminished the resistance of his chakra barrier, so she charged chakra into her fist and prepared to hit.

"Finish him, Sakura!" Ino's cheers got to her again, and she felt like she could take on the world if she had to. Her fist connected with the side of Ike's head, sending him directly to the ground. However she hadn't planned that he would wake up from the genjutsu by being hit so hard, would catch himself halfway down and turn the momentum from his fall into his advantage by swiping at her legs, effectively tripping her. Not a second after realizing her mistake – and before she touched the ground, Ike's body was ramming into hers, the force of the impact driving her into the ground hard.

Ino was now fighting the urge to jump down and go see if Sakura was alright, stop the fight, beat this guy down to a pulp. She hoped to gods that Sakura had managed to lessen the impact somehow, because the way her body was almost buried into the ground sure wasn't promising for her health. Her heart clenched at the thought that maybe Sakura would never get up from that hit, and the feeling of anxiety was almost too much to bear. _Please forehead, get up… And give up… _

Iketetsomaru got up from over the girl and brushed himself off nonchalantly. He then gave a sideway glance to Genma, who's expression remained impassable. The Sakura in the hole turned into a pile of dirt as if on clue, and before Ike could turn around, a super-charged elbow was coming down on his neck, causing the boy to grunt in pain, but he stayed on his two feet. Sakura landed a few feet away from him, more or less ready to go at it again, when she noticed how her opponent's energy was now filtering out of him, getting denser by the second. He had released more seals. His simple presence was now overly frightening, and the crowd was now silent in fear, instead of anticipation. Tsunade was bending down over the ramp and getting her attention. "Give up, Sakura!" Ino shuddered and bit her lip. If her friend's sensei said it, she could just as well, couldn't she? "You won to me Sakura, stop the fight!"

Sakura was frozen in place, trembling idly, as if only her mind was affected by the presence in front of her. She was beyond frightened, and giving up sounded like the best option. How that man had managed to make her think he wasn't all that dangerous through her training and the time she spent more or less spying on him, she couldn't understand it now. She raised her hand slowly, hoping she was doing the right thing. Hoping that she could survive this.

"I… resign."

* * *

**AN: **Merry Christmas to all! (Or Happy Holidays hehe). No, I didn't wait on purpose. I had planned to finish this chapter yesterday, but the power went out and yeah... I even lost a paragraph in the process, boohoo... I'm sorry for taking so long to update. Holidays and such got me utlra busy (and I'll be ultra busy in the next few days too... and I thought I finally had some decent vacations to rest and do nothing v.v 

I hope I didn't mess up the new outfit's descriptions. I just wanted to make them look a bit different, cuz they're growing up, but they're not 16 yet either, so some kind of in-between felt just right, y'know. I'm also happy to keep getting feedback :) This is the best motivator for writing, besides being heartbroken (to me anyway) and currently the later doesnt happen much, cuz I'm just so in love. And yeah so... If you wanna make me a cool xmas gift, review!


	11. Chapter 11: Bleed Like Me

**Chapter 11: Bleed Like Me**

Sakura's half raised hand, as she had halted the motion moments earlier, reconsidering her decision, fell to her side as her eyes opened wide and she turned to the man next to her. The crowd gasped loudly and then fell silent, as Genma struggled to catch his senbon that he had almost dropped when his jaw nearly fell at hearing who had resigned. In fact, nobody seemed to believe what was happening. Ino was just as dumbfounded as Sakura was, her stare switching between Iketetsomaru and Shikamaru, looking for an answer.

"Why… why did you surrender?" Ike blinked at Sakura's question, and then closed his eyes as his face scrunched up into something similar to a wince. The power emanating from him slowly vanished, as the blue aura surrounding him disappeared, leaving an 'after-chaos' kind of atmosphere on the arena. He reopened his eyes and decided to ignore Sakura's question, simply turning to Genma and repeating, in a voice that sounded a lot more human. "I give up, Haruno's won."

Despite his surprise, Genma shook his head and agreed to announce the winner, as Sakura's knees nearly gave under her weight now that the adrenaline rush was going down. The fight had been harder than it had seemed. She felt literally drained, and her brain decided to associate the exhaustion to Iketetsomaru's outburst of power.

Ino was the first in the crowd to cheer for victory, even if the conditions were weird and that everyone doubted that the issue was exactly fair. Soon though, everyone was applauding the show they had witnessed, and yelling Sakura's name loud and clear. The pink haired girl waved at everyone, and smiled when her eyes met Ino's, although the distance made it nearly impossible to tell. Then she remembered that, having won, she'd have at least another fight to go through, against Kiba, and she headed for the medical center inside the stadium, wanting those ribs replaced correctly, and that concussion taken care of. And she wanted to rest a little bit, just so her energy wasn't as low anymore when the next two fights would be over. Or at least Hinata and Shino's battle. She would want to watch Ino's fight if she could.

Genma was about to announce the next match, but Ino could've cared less about it. She wanted to go check on her friend and make sure she was okay, but just as she turned around to go, Shikamaru caught her arm and stopped her. "Let me go, baka!" She said, trying to snatch her arm away. But Shikamaru's hold was too strong. "If you go now, you risk missing your own match, Ino. I know you're worried about Sakura, but I'm sure she doesn't want you to miss your chance of becoming a chuunin because of her." Ino protested. "But, I've been mean to her and…" The Nara boy shook his head slightly, muttering something along the lines of 'troublesome' under his breath, causing Ino to stop talking. She was watching him intently, half a glare stacked on her face, her expression also reading anxiousness. "Besides, don't you want to know **why** I'm here, anyway?" He added when he was sure he had her attention. The blonde blinked and then nodded.

"I'm on guard duty." He simply said before turning his attention to what was going down in the arena where a determined Hinata was struggling to keep Shino's bugs out of her personal space. It sure was weird to see the two teammates fight, while knowing they were not sparring. "Guard duty for what?" Ino pressed on as she took a look down as well, somehow relieved to see that the fight was just beginning. "Keep your voice down." Her teammate whispered, casting a sideway glance to Hanmaru, who looked like he was bored out of hell. Iketetsomaru still hadn't come back to his place.

"What's going on?" Ino asked again, growing more worried by the second. Shikamaru sighed and shrugged, letting go of his friend's arm in the process. "Let's say that after last time, everyone's paranoid. I was sent here to make sure none of the participants had a suspicious behavior." Ino raised an eyebrow at that, not sure why Shikamaru was telling her this. "Seeing that the Ematai is not back…" he continued, ignoring her facial expression. "I have to go after him. I just want you to keep an eye on Hanmaru until your fight."

The blonde kunoichi narrowed her eyes at her teammate, she couldn't go see Sakura only because her friend could not split into two. Well that wasn't a cool reason in her book. "You're the only other person I trust with this information. The others would just freak out, I guess." Shikamaru tried to justify his action, earning a glare in return. "I don't have to do this for you, lazy bum. Just make a clone and leave him here." The chuunin shook his head softly and sighed. "It's an order, Ino."

On those words he was out, leaving Ino to rubbing her forehead in annoyance. She then turned her attention back to the fight, to see a swarm of bugs being warded off by the Hyuuga's heavenly spin technique, that Hinata seemed to master almost perfectly now. Then the next thing she knew, Shino had jumped up over Hinata, kunai in hand, effectively disappearing from the girl's field of view when she stopped spinning, as he was holding himself exactly in her blind spot. Surely training together, they knew each other's tricks perfectly, which would in return promise an interesting fight, given Hinata saw this one coming.

The girl spun around quickly and dodged the blow skilfully, at the same time placing an open palm on Shino's left arm, effectively making him drop the kunai in pain. She then reassumed a fighting position, looking as determined as ever. Shino had placed his hands back in his pockets and stood there in front of her. "Hinata's going to play the waiting game. I'm not sure which one of these two has the most patience." Sakura's voice rang from somewhere behind her, causing Ino to turn around and forget about the fight once more. "Sakura!" She nearly yelled, fighting back the urge to run up to her friend and hug her. Kiba, who had been sitting on the ramp and intently watching the fight down there shushed her before turning his attention back to the arena. Sakura giggled at his attitude and smiled. "I can't believe I won…" she let out, her smile quickly fading. "Are you alright?" Ino asked, this time crossing the few steps between them and eyeing Sakura in a concerned manner. "I'm fine." The pink haired girl deadpanned. What was it with people always asking her **that** question? Ino frowned, and then put one hand on her friend's shoulder, her lips curling into a proud smile. "You won big time, forehead." She simply stated, causing Sakura to look up to her and straight into her eyes. "Now I'll have to put on one heck of a show if I don't want to fall behind." They were now both smiling, and it felt good.

"Ino, I…" Sakura started, before being interrupted by loud cheers coming from the crowd. Kiba was up and had his fist in the air, a huge grin on his face. "Yeah! Go Hinata!" He screamed loudly, Akamaru barking in approval by his side. Apparently the fight was now over, and as soon as Ino realized that her eyes grew wide and her stance visibly shrunk. It was her turn, already. Sakura noticed her nervousness and simply put her hand on Ino's shoulder, returning the comforting gesture. "You'll do fine pig." _I can wait until this is over to talk, I guess…_

Genma was trying to call the last two fighters, struggling to make his voice louder than the crowd who was raging for more action. "And now the last match of the first round, but not the least: The beautiful and deadly Ino Yamanaka, " Ino blushed at the description. "… and the loud and surprising Hanmaru Dasane! Let the fight begin!" A tremendous roar came from the assistance as Hanmaru back flipped from the ramp into the stadium at the mention of his name. These Hawk nins were decidedly show offs. Ino looked one last time into Sakura's eyes for reassurance, and decided she'd go and match the spectacular entrance instead of making her way down slowly and making the audience wait. In a gracious sideway spin, she landed on her feet and ready to strike already, right beside her opponent.

At the exact same time, they both reached into their shuriken pouch and threw three deadly stars at each other, two pairs colliding midway, and the last one being dodged in a demonstration of agility that the two fighters mirrored perfectly. They were now a bit farther apart, within middle range attacks, which was not a useful distance for any of them. In a swift shuffle of their feet they both closed in and struck at each other. Ino's elbow was stopped short of the man's chin by a sure hand, Hanmaru's fist was deflected to the side by a solid arm. As if on a common accord, they hopped away from each other once more and began to stare each other down.

Sakura was watching the fight curiously, wondering what Ino had in store. And she was also left perplexed by Hanmaru's attitude. He had been over reacting most of the other times she had seen him, and now he was calm, collected, and strangely focused. The attacks he placed were calculated, and his fighting style was totally flawless. "Han is a born fighter…" Iketetsomaru's voice came from behind her, answering her question without her even asking it. She turned to him for a second, noting how Shikamaru was walking a few steps behind as if he was watching the man. "That's the only thing he's ever been good at. Well, that's what he thinks, anyway." The dark haired Ematai continued, walking the distance to Sakura and leaning against the ramp next to her. She let him near her, frowning slightly at how his presence felt now. _It's as if he's sad about something… Probably resigning…_ Seeing that he was silent and probably didn't really feel like talking, she turned her attention back to the fight, just in time to see Hanmaru withdrawing his Hammer and swiping in Ino's direction in the same movement, the blonde jumping back to avoid the blow. Things were starting to get serious.

Ino joined her hands and began forming hand signs quickly while she evaded the hammer blows the Hawk nin was barraging her with, as he controlled his weapon like it was a simple staff – and not much heavier than a pencil. Jumping over a particularly low strike, Ino completed her jutsu, the last hand sign performed with a tube between both hands that no sooner turned into a sword handle with a fire blade that she spun backwards before firmly grasping in her right hand. She was more than ready for the next strike, expertly deflecting the shaft of the hammer with her blade and stepping into close range of her opponent, with the freedom to strike any body part she wanted to. Her choice fell on his thigh, the cut was made clean, and the heat emanating from the blade sealed it by a burn, preventing the wound from bleeding too much – that was a big part of her strategy. Now with a kunai in her left hand as well, she was ready for another attack. Hanmaru barely grunted at the pain before he charged her again, this time making sure he wouldn't leave such an obvious opening in his attacking pattern. Ino was left blocking and dodging for quite a while, until she finally managed to put herself close to the boy once again, and struck at his right arm with the kunai first, getting away from him by finishing the blow with her fire sword in a gracious back flip.

Sakura was admiring the speed and flexibility of her friend from her perch, her fingers tightly clasped over the ramp and her mouth slightly agape. She simply couldn't believe the skill level that her friend had accomplished over the past month. Sure, she had gotten better herself, but she now knew that she could never be what Ino was. She was, indeed, beautiful and deadly. But the blonde was something more…

"Is she using poison?" The question came from her left, where Iketetsomaru was still standing, almost uncomfortably close to her, and she wondered how she had managed to forget his presence up to now. The look on his face almost answered the question for her though. His usually calm expression was replaced by one of concern, although what he was worried about, Sakura couldn't tell. She only knew that if he had meant any harm, she would have noticed. However, his presence was more comforting than anything else. He was now looking at her strangely, and she finally realized he had asked a question. "Um I don't know." She answered, trying to remember if Ino had ever mentioned anything about a technique in her family where she'd used poison. "Oh, I know her family is renowned for making this numbing elixir. Used in the right dosage, it can paralyze limbs and such for a moment."

The Ematai simply nodded knowingly, casting a sideway glance at the action below, but keeping his eyes on Sakura. The pink haired girl blushed slightly under his stare, not knowing what else she could say. And the boy must have noticed her uneasiness because he immediately turned his head back to the fight, a blush of his own forming over the bridge of his nose, which he tried to hide by scratching his cheek. Sakura couldn't help but giggle at his attitude, which strangely reminded her _of a boy with a crush._ Her eyes suddenly grew wide and although it seemed like things were getting exciting down in the arena, she couldn't help but cast a glance at him again. His blush was gone, and his face was back to normal. Maybe she had just been dreaming.

The fight was still raging on between Ino and Hanmaru. They were relentlessly trading blows, although the Hawk nin's speed was rapidly decreasing with each strike that Ino placed, but it was also obvious that simply maintaining the flame blade was using up a lot of the blonde's energy. Finally, after a particularly violent blow that she had barely deflected away from her head, the fire went out, leaving Ino panting and defenceless. Hanmaru was looking at her with an amused look, holding his hammer on his shoulder carelessly. The blonde was annoyed at herself, and felt the urge to mindlessly charge at the man in front of her, but a part of her mind stayed alert and recognized the taunt for what it was. It would be stupid to go head first. Incredibly stupid.

The crowd started booing the standstill, and Hanmaru grinned. "See how impatient they are? They'd be da worse ninjas ever!" He said in a happy-go-lucky voice, his eyes on the blonde girl in front of him. Ino couldn't help but smile. "Let's show them how strong we are?" She asked, adjusting her fighting stance now that her only weapon was a kunai. He nodded and grabbed the shaft of his hammer again, ready to go back to the fight. "Ya, let's show 'em!"

In a flash, both ninjas were back in action, dashing at each other in the hope of making the first hit again. Ino was getting anxious at how little her paralyzing technique was working on the Hawk nin. A normal person would have already decided to stop moving until they could understand the movement of their limbs again, but Hanmaru was simply managing through the pain and weirdness as if it was almost nothing. She had the slightest moment of hesitation when she came within reach of his hammer, receiving the heavy weapon at chest's height, barely able to place her arm in front to avoid how deadly the blow would've been if it had been a clean hit. She had the presence of mind to throw her kunai at her opponent as she flew backwards, hitting the ground shortly after with the knowledge that her left arm was broken.

A shadow came down on her shortly after and she rolled to the side realizing she was still fighting Hanmaru, and that he wasn't going to take a break until she healed her arm, even with a kunai planted in his forearm. She had to do with what she had to finish the fight, and she was okay with that idea as she rolled back onto her feet, trying to form a few hand seals as the ground rippled at the strength of the last hammer blow. The excruciating pain she felt in her hand nearly discouraged her to go any further, but she knew she couldn't win without using any kind of jutsu with an arm out. Not against a melee fighter like Dasane Hanmaru.

Sakura tensed up at how Hanmaru had gotten the upper hand in the fight. She hoped Ino was going to be alright, but as she saw how hard it was for her friend to do hand signs, she knew Ino's arm was broken, and that nearly sank her hopes of her friend winning the battle. They sank a little deeper when she saw that all of her efforts had only served to produce four clones.

Ino braced herself for the hit that came next, knowing that she had just a split second to do what she intended to do if she didn't want to die. But if she succeeded, she would get a chance to get a clean strike at her opponent's back, and that could mean victory to her. She spread her clones around, ignoring the huff that came from Hanmaru as he saw them and dismissed them just in the same vain. Shadow clones would've been dangerous, but those weren't. He was chasing after Ino, who leapt to one side and the other desperately avoiding her opponent's weapon as she struggled to form the hand signs for her mind control jutsu. The people in the crowd that knew her gasped, wondering if she was downright suicidal. Including Sakura. Excluding Shizune.

Ino had to bend backward to dodge, and she knew her head would hit the ground in a split second, so she decided it was now or never and formed the last symbol with her hands, projecting her mind to one of her clone. The following Hammer blow dispelled the first clone that had taken Ino's place, and before the man could turn around, he had a Kunai on his throat and a knee at the small of his back. Ino was literally reeling for air in his back, the technique having probably drained her of what was left of her energy, but she was solid and stable, her grasp unwavering, and the hawk nin decided it was no use trying to push this fight further. Genma gave him an inquiring look, his eyebrow raised curiously, and sighing audibly, Hanmaru resigned wordlessly. "The winner of this match is Yamanaka Ino!" The man announced, earning the blonde girl loud cheers from the crowd.

Tsunade, up in her chair, gave an appreciative nod to her assistant. "You taught her well." She stated, impressed at Ino's display of skills. "But the clone shuffle technique is not a forbidden technique for nothing." She then added, now glaring softly at the dark haired girl by her side. "I-I didn't show her that." Shizune simply answered, her eyes cast down at her own apprentice. "That was her father's idea, and you got to admit that it saved her life this time around." Tsunade shook her head and sighed. "Who knows at what price though. Go check on her." It was not an order, not the way it had been said, but Shizune complied anyway. The second round was about to begin, and she needed to fix her apprentice to be ready to fight against Hinata.

"Hey, Haruno. It's your turn." Ike's voice shook Sakura out of her absent state. Kiba was now right next to Sakura as well, his grin still in place, his arm extended towards her. "Let's have a good fight, Sakura." He said seriously. She blinked and shook his hand, giving a soft "Hai!" in return. The grin on Kiba's face widened as he let go of her hand and decided he was doing one of those formidable entrance by jumping down from his spot and yelling "Kawaaabuungaaa!" accompanied by Akamaru's barking. Sakura couldn't help but chuckle at the scene, but with her recent injuries, she couldn't afford to try such an entrance, so she instead walked down the wall smiling softly. The crowd was ecstatic.

"Well ladies and gentleman, it was planned that we'd have an interlude after the first round, but if our two fighters are ready, and everyone wants more…" Genma shouted, his usual calm attitude riddled with excitement. The cheers were contagious. "The first match of the semi finals will oppose Inuzuka Kiba and Haruno Sakura! Dog versus Flower. Let the match begin!" The roar coming from the audience was deafening, almost as bad as when it had been Sasuke and Gaara going at it, quite a couple of months earlier. And it was just two genin that believed they were not all that much above ordinary that were going at it. Both fighters giggled before taking on a fighting stance. Akamaru gave the start signal by barking and the fight was on.

Both of them reeled their fist back and charged at each other, somehow completely forgetting to block, and taking the hits head on, literally. They both recoiled heavily, surprisingly not loosing their footing however. But when they fully regained their balance one could tell that the impact had been great. Sakura had a claw wound on her cheek which was bleeding and burning, causing her to wince in pain. Kiba had a red print on the side of his face, which would undoubtedly turn into a huge bruise later on. He also had his hands together forming hand signs before Sakura could fight the dizziness that accompanied the violence of the strike. Her concussion would get in the way, so she had to end this as quickly as possible. She wondered if Ino was watching right now, because she sure as hell wouldn't want to be losing in front of her.

With a quick evaluation, Sakura determined that she couldn't perform her earlier technique again with the low level of chakra she had left. She knew Kiba had the upper hand already, his previous match against Chouji hadn't taken as much energy as hers against Iketetsomaru. Unless the part with the smoke bomb had been rough, but that, she was unable to tell, even if she had witnessed it before. _Maybe I should give up. I can't take many more hits to the head in my condition, and he knows it._

Ino was standing near the entrance of the arena, not bothering going back to the participant's waiting quarter, and enjoying the show even more form her spot. Shizune was next to her, finishing bandaging her broken and almost healed arm. "It'd be funny if we both made it to the finals…" She voiced out, giving a light chuckle at the end of her sentence, earning a smile from Shizune. "You two have a score to settle, right?" Ino was thoughtful for a moment, observing as Kiba and Akamaru fused together into that big wolf-like creature and started stomping at Sakura, who expertly dodged up until she was against a wall. "Yes and no." She finally replied, grinning at how the pink Haired girl had flipped over the wolf while throwing a handful of kunais with explosive tags attached to them to dog boy. The burst made him change back to normal, throwing both him and Akamaru a few feet back, right into the dirt. "It's not about being stronger than each other anymore." Ino added, feeling the questioning stare she was getting from her sensei even though she never glanced her way. "Oh?" Shizune asked, while she surveyed Ino's body, making sure everything was in place. "It's about being stronger, period." Ino smirked, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back against the frame of the door as she watched Sakura's brute strength crack the ground where Kiba had been just a second ago. Shizune couldn't help but giggle, before she turned serious again. "Don't use the clone shuffle technique again, you know how dangerous it is. You're lucky to be in one piece already." To that comment, Ino simply nodded, knowing what Shizune meant. If the jutsu had failed just a little, if she had been distracted only a split second, her body could've been deformed by the jutsu, forever. And that was the best case scenario.

Kiba managed to get out of harm's way and threw a few smoke bombs around the battle field, visibly intent on ending this quick and simple. Sakura tensed up where she was standing waiting for what she knew she couldn't see. She remembered the first time she had witnessed that attack – and it wasn't today.

_::Sakura was walking past the training grounds, her eyes puffy from all the crying she had done, quite intent on simply going home. Hinata had heard the rustle of her feet and come running to her, effectively stopping Kiba from attacking again. The young Hyuuga had immediately noticed the dark mood she was in and inquired about it shyly. Sakura hadn't explained anything, just that she wasn't doing so well. Kiba had come a-running, his usual grin faltering at the sight of the pink haired girl._

_"Hey, Haruno…" He had said, apparently thoughtful. She had expected the usual "Are you alright?" from him. Like everyone else had asked, like Hinata. "Wanna spar with me? Hinata's getting tired, and Shino's somewhere looking at butterflies or something." He had said that with a conviction she couldn't quite go against. He really meant it – fighting was his offer for comfort, and somehow Sakura had agreed._

_He had been so eager about this new technique of his' that Sakura had agreed to help him test it. She felt numb and useless, and so pain wouldn't bother her, and she could at least be useful, if only for a minute. Hinata was visibly too scared to let him try it out on her. It had started the same way: smoke bombs around the perimeter, leaving her to simply looking around, afraid to move. When the first glimpse of fangs appeared in front of her, she had been so surprised she had fallen backwards, sharp claws finding their way deep into the skin of her arm. She had somehow managed to get back on her feet, and decided that she'd try not to react as much to the next attacks. The blows had turned softer, as if Kiba had understood that if he'd gone all out, he'd end up hurting his sparring partner. Sakura blocked rather easily, deflecting fangs with a kunai at the very last moment, letting claws flash by her head, but not quite touching her. And she thought she had figured the attack pattern out, and that by not moving, she could evade it all. Mistake number two._

_The jaw of a wolf-form Kiba had gripped her leg tightly, and by pure reflex, Sakura had tried to get out of it's grasp, only tearing out more skin in the process. At her pained cry however, it had released it's hold, and turned back into Kiba and Akamaru, just as the smoke started dissipating. The boy looked incredibly sorry, and his dog had the sad puppy eyes as if he knew he had done something wrong. The pain still hadn't completely taken over though, it took a "Are you alright?" coming from Hinata to make her realize that in fact, she really wasn't doing good. She had ran off right then, ignoring the throbbing pain in her leg, and had gone to bed right away, forgetting that the wounds needed care. She had gotten up so late the next morning all she had managed to do was bandaging said wounds.:: _

The memory of how Kiba had treated her as an equal all along was stronger than the pain she felt, and had felt back then. As she saw the fangs flashing in front of herself, once again, and the whole scene replayed in her mind, she decided that she was going to stay calm, and win this fight. _I made a promise to Ino. I told her I'd be strong. This is what I'm going to do._ With resolve now written all over her face, despite the stinginess in her eyes caused by the smoke, Sakura focused on the movements of the wolf. She ended up closing her eyes and listening carefully, shurikens ready between her fingers. Fangs too close, a shuriken flying straight into the mouth that was about to bite her, the whimpers of the wolf who was still attacking. She could feel it all in each and every part of her body.

Then the attack pattern suddenly changed, the pace increased, and she lost track of where she was, and which part of her body she should be using to block the next hit. Kiba had improved his technique, by a lot. It had not been foolish of him to show off before the fight, he had actually managed to make it better by trying it out on her about a month earlier. She started panicking and opened her eyes, throwing her shurikens haphazardly as she was being tossed around between fangs and claws, none really piercing through her skin however, just leaving scratches and bruises. Then she was head banged out of the cloud of vanishing smoke and landed hard on her back, her head spinning, and her ribs hurting once more. She lifted her head slightly, trying to find that mischievous grin in the remains of the smoke. But as she realized Kiba wasn't there, she started worrying. Maybe in a fit of luck the shurikens had touched a vital point. Worse, maybe she had killed him. Wanting to find out more, she sat up slowly, pain shooting through her as she did so, as her eyes surveyed the area. Kiba was about in the same position as she was, his face distorted in pain as he eyed the three shurikens planted in his chest. Hopefully, none looked like they had hit a vital spot, but the boy seriously looked like he had trouble breathing, and that in itself was pretty bad. Sakura struggled to get to her feet, and when she did, Kiba smiled at her warmly and gave her a thumbs up. Then he passed out.

As soon as Sakura was declared winner, Ino couldn't help but rush forward into the arena up to her friend. "Oh my god, Sakura. That was awesome." She said, sincerely, placing a hand on her less battered shoulder and trying to find her gaze. The pink haired girl smiled softly and then collapsed into the blonde's arm, unconscious. The medic team was soon on the spot and ready to take care of the two fighters as Hinata made her way to the stadium and stood next to Ino for a little bit, but the blonde was too busy thinking to notice it. _Wow, she really gave it her all. She's changed, a lot. I just… I hope she knows that I still love her. Whether its friendship or love… I just don't want her to think I hate her._

"Hmm, Ino?" The lavender eyed girl said hesitantly, trying to get her opponent's attention. She didn't want to be doing this, but she wasn't going to simply knock her opponent out without her even noticing the fight had started. "Uh what?" Ino answered, startled. Hinata giggled shyly before showing that she had a kunai in hand. "We have to fight." She said gravely. Ino's face fell. Of course she had to fight, event though she wanted to run up to Sakura's side. _Well, the faster this is over with, the quicker I can go and see her!_

Hinata was drained from her fight against Shino. That much was obvious as the girl was shaky on her legs, yet something in her face simply read _Naruto_. She wasn't going to give up. Ino twisted her fingers a little, testing her broken arm. It was painful, but bearable. She'd just have to be careful. And against an opponent like Hinata, that meant middle to long range combat, something she was not all that proficient in. She thanked the forces for being right handed and still having that arm in useable condition as she withdrew a handful of shurikens and threw them at Hinata swiftly, immediately stepping to the side to evade the kunai that the Hyuuga heir had thrown her way.

She then grabbed another two shuriken and threw them again, one of them being tied by a thin string that she held between her fingers. With the right timing, she could pull on the thread and force the dodged shuriken back on her opponent. It was an assassination technique, and she was reluctant to use it on a friend, but there was no way she could win by stretching the fight and getting inside the close perimeter of Hinata. The only thing she had forgot to take into account was the byakugan. Hinata saw the shuriken flying toward the back of her skull and dodged it by bending over, using the manoeuvre as a propulsion to get within close range of Ino. An open palm to the stomach sent the blonde kunoichi reeling for air as she struggled to get away from the gentle fist user.

They were basically playing a game of cats and mice, Ino clearly being the lonely mouse in that situation. There was no way she could win if this kept up. She tried thinking of something clever, something that Hinata wouldn't suspect, but it was hard. Clones wouldn't work as the byakugan could easily find the real one among the bunch. She didn't really have the energy to use the paralyzing fireblade technique either. She thought about how Sakura had pulled her fight out: luck. She thought about what resources she had left: luck. She grimaced at the thought of having to rely on pure luck to win this fight, but in the end, if her and Sakura were meant to go against each other in the finals, then it would work.

She took the chakra tube in her hand and jumped onto the nearby wall, using it as leverage to jump at Hinata full speed. The change of tactics surprised the other girl, and Ino knew that it was now or never. She shot chakra into the tube and hoped that it would work. Because it had never worked during training. This was why she used a fire jutsu to create a blade in the first place. The weapon was levelled with Hinata's waist line – not too much of a vital part in case it worked. There was a flash of light when she passed by her, sensing a tremor she wasn't used to feeling pass through her arm. The few hits that Hinata had managed to place had had their effect on her body. And as she rolled over upon landing, Ino knew only one thing: win or not, this was the one and only hit she could manage with this weapon.

A soft shriek came from behind her, and Ino instantly shot up to go and look over Hinata. The girl was grasping her belly with one hand, bent over on her knees, a bit of blood running down her chin from the corner of her mouth. She looked like a train had just rammed into her, searching for air that burned up her lungs with each intake. Ino took a glance at the tube she still held in her palm and blinked. That thing was deadly. She then looked back at her opponent, the match wasn't over yet. She could strike the finishing blow and knock Hinata out, now, and she knew it. But something about it just felt incredibly wrong, especially since, even if they weren't all that close, Hinata **was** her friend. "Hey, you going to be alright Hinata?" She asked, leaning in closer to the girl to take a better look at her face. Genma was nearing them quietly too, curious. It sounded like the whole stadium was holding it's breath.

"Huh… winner of this fight: Yamanaka Ino." Genma said out loud, after only seeing Hinata's eyes. The wound on her stomach wasn't deep, there didn't seem to be much blood escaping from it. But the injury was most probably internal, and at the way the young Hyuuga was gasping and coughing in pain, it was obvious she couldn't continue with the fight. Decidedly, this chuunin exam would leave a lot of marks on its participants. "Okay, we're taking a break, the final match will take place around four this afternoon, be there everyone, and thanks for assisting to these exciting fights!" It didn't take much more for the seats in the stadium to empty up. Everyone was eager to move around, and go grab a snack, and Ino could understand – she wanted to go see Sakura, now.

"Just wait for a minute!" Shizune yelled after her as she tried to catch up with the blonde who was nearly running toward the medical center. Ino sighed and resisted the urge to yell to the world that she didn't care about anything but **Sakura** at the moment. Instead, she turned back to her temporary sensei, making a point to look as annoyed as possible, which caused Shizune to giggle. Which in turn made Ino look even more annoyed. "What's up?" She finally asked, sighing loudly, understanding that she wasn't out of trouble yet. "You need to be treated for the chakra vessels that Hinata shut…" She said, coming to an halt near the girl, who shook her head in disbelief. "That can be done while I'm talking to Sakura, can't it?" Shizune smiled and shook her head no. "You two seem to need time alone. Come on, it'll take just a minute." Ino reluctantly complied, standing where she was and letting Shizune proceed with the healing. Not much more than ten seconds after the treatment started, she felt her skin literally popping, and suddenly felt a lot better. Sure, she wasn't at the top of her shape, but considering what she had been through, she was doing pretty well. She thanked Shizune promptly after she made sure everything was fine, and left running towards Sakura's room.

Tsunade was there when she reached it, and for a moment she remained unnoticed in the door frame, watching as the fifth Hokage took care of her apprentice, just like a mother would with her daughter. "There, you can rest until your fight this afternoon." She said softly, getting up and turning towards the door, and Ino. She didn't even look surprised to find the blonde girl there, and didn't bother even saying hi or nodding while walking by her. Ino raised an eyebrow at that behaviour, wondering what she had done to deserve such a treatment coming from the Hokage.

"Ino?" The matter was immediately forgotten when she heard Sakura's voice calling her, and she put on a smile before walking to the bed and sitting on the chair Tsunade had used next to it. "Hey Sakura, feeling better?" The pink haired girl smiled faintly and nodded softly, wanting to sit up to be able to look her friend in the eye, but knowing that it would only cause her pain. "So, who won?" She asked Ino curiously, waiting for an answer. "You, silly." Ino replied, sticking her tongue out playfully and poking her friend's arm. Sakura giggled softly and shook her head. "I meant, between you and Hinata."

"Oh." Ino took on a stern expression, much like the one she'd think she'd have had, if she had lost. Sakura frowned slightly, her hand reaching out for the blonde's which was resting somewhere near her head. She was slightly disappointed at the answer and tried not to show it. "I won!" Ino finished, grinning broadly, much to the dismay of Sakura, who stopped an inch short of taking that hand in hers. "You almost got me!" She defended herself, earning a giggle from Ino. "Did you really think I'd lose?" Ino mocked, causing Sakura's smile to grow wider. And then they just looked at each other and the silence fell.

"I'm sorry." The blonde girl said softly after a while, her eyes cast downward as she said so. Sakura gulped and then remembered where her hand was, and let it travel the rest of the way to Ino's, squeezing it lightly. "No, I'm sorry. I was stupid, you were right…" Ino sighed softly and shook her head, before letting herself look up again and into Sakura's eyes. "I didn't really mean what I said."

"I know." Another silence. It wasn't awkward, nor heavy, but not comfortable either. Something was missing. "I love you, Ino." Sakura's voice was soft, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears – happy tears. Ino felt like these words had given her wings. She almost couldn't believe it had finally happened, and that Sakura had finally said that. It was too good to be true. "I love you so much, Sakura." She answered after a moment of erratic breathing, trying to control the flood of emotions that ran through her. The pink haired girl squeezed her hand a bit tighter, and opened her mouth to say something. But she realized nothing else had to be said.

For the first time since Sasuke left, Sakura felt like it wasn't so bad anymore. Sure, he was still her friend, and she cared about him. But now that he was gone, she had the chance to realize what she was missing by clinging to him the way she did. She had realized that she had Ino. Not only that, but she was happier than ever, with her. _Oh my god, what will Naruto say when he finds out…  
_

* * *

**AN: TADA! **Wee I'm happy I finished that chapter :P Been on it for 3 days straight! It was one of those chapters you start writing thinking you don't have all that much action or stuff to pack in, but as you keep writing, you keep feeling like it's not complete, it's missing something. You can pack some more stuff with it. Give you an idea? At first I wanted to just throw in the action until Ino's fight. And make Genma announce that intermission. But guess what, I was just as impatient as the crowd and the fighters! Haha. I'm pretty proud at how sweet the end of my chapter turned. Oh yeah: SURPRISE! Sakura never resigned! I'm that kind of evil person, I leave cliffys that don't look like cliffys, just to make people react :P 

Special thanks to The Stupid Ninja for reminding me about the cuts part. I hadn't been able to fit the flashback in the previous chapter and I was about to forget about it, which in turn would've made it harder to justify Sakura's reaction to Kiba's attack - and a bit more of their interaction later on. Because, beside Ino and Sakura, Kiba's my fave character! So he's still got a part to play. Also big thanks to everyone who's reviewed, or been with me from the beginning. You guys are all courageous! Now stay tuned for the big final match between Ino and Sakura! As well as the answer to "Why the hell are these Hawk nins in the story to begin with?"


	12. Chapter 12: These Walls

**Chapter 12: These Walls**

It felt like they were in a different world, now that this barrier was down, now that they knew they loved each other, nothing could stand in their way. Or well, almost nothing. "So, think you'll pull through a fight against the mighty Yamanaka?" Ino asked playfully, now sitting next to Sakura, putting an empty bowl of soup on the table next to the bed and taking her friend's as well. Sakura giggled and thanked her before rolling her eyes and sighing at Ino's attitude. "Any day, pig." She scooted a little closer and leant her head on the blonde's shoulder as her mouth formed the words. Ino had her arm wrapped around her waist and instinctively squeezed her just a little closer. They were once again silent for a moment.

At some point Ino decided that she wanted to smell Sakura's hair, as dirty and messy as they were after the fights – she just wanted to know that smell that was now hers. So she leant her head on Sakura's, feeling the girl relax some more under her, and kissed the top of her head softly before taking in a long breath. Sakura couldn't help but giggle at that behavior, before she slowly moved her head up, until her eyes met Ino's. "What's with my hair?" Her eyebrow was slightly raised in a questioning glare.

"I just like it." The blonde wriggled her eyebrows once, and then gave the girl in front of her a wink. Sakura giggled once more and put a gentle, quick kiss on Ino's lips. Ino decided she could play that game too. "What's with my lips?" She asked, grinning broadly. "They're just so perfect, I just had to kiss them." Sakura answered. Ino gave her a pout. "You're supposed to like them…"

"Oh, but I do." Sakura kissed her again, this time slightly longer, long enough for Ino to kiss back.

"Uh huh, sure you do." Ino pushed on, bringing her free hand up to Sakura's cheek and caressing it softly with her fingers. The pink haired girl nodded. "Just like every single thing about you." That had Ino blushing immediately, and Sakura just a little too. They sure weren't used to being that close.

"You're just saying that to be sweet." Ino broke the silence, brushing her thumb against the corner of Sakura's mouth as she did so. Reluctant to shake that hand away, Sakura resisted shaking her head no, and instead tucked a strand of hair behind the blonde's ear, as if the movement meant absolutely everything. Their eyes were still locked, neither of them wanting to miss a beat – especially since in a little while they'd be trying to knock each other out.

Ino pressed her lips to Sakura's once again, this time in a slightly more demanding way, and closing her eyes. Sakura let her take the lead for a moment, responding to the affection and returning it the best way she could. She had always imagined the first few kisses being rough and passionate, yet she wasn't disappointed one second at the way Ino was treating her. It felt like she was floating, and she simply loved it.

They pulled apart slowly, their eyes fluttering open, and then their foreheads touched and they just stared down each other's soul. It was all new, and beautiful, everything they saw in each other that they hadn't noticed before. Wondering how they could have missed all of that until now.

The trickle of rain falling reached their ears, quiet and pleasant at first, somehow distant. It soon became more insistent, louder, until the rain itself slapped into the window of the room, complimenting a formidable thunderbolt in the sky. It was soon followed by a loud noise, which had Sakura jumping slightly, and clinging to Ino. "Oh please Sakura, you're not scared of a small storm are you?" Another lightning flash, another, much louder bang, and Ino found herself jumping a little as well, as Sakura's hold on her tightened even more. The pink haired girl looked up at her sheepishly, no trace of fear evident in her face. _It was just an excuse to cling to you…_

**_Don't just cling! Use your hands to explore places! Kiss her senseless. Make her surrender to your love!_**

_What the hell?_

**_Well I'm rooting for you, whatcha waiting for?_**

_You just ruined the moment… It was all sweet and comfy and you had to barge in with your… ideas._

**_Prude!_**

_Perv!_

"Sakura? You okay?" Ino's worried tone shook Sakura out of her inner ramble and made her blink once, before nodding. "Yeah, sorry I…" She paused, searching for an excuse for spacing out. _I can't just tell her I was speaking with my inner self._

**_Why not?_**

_Duh! _"I just got lost in your eyes, cuz they're so beautiful, when you look at me like that." A small kiss on the chin, and an eternity to stare at those baby blues. Sakura couldn't tear her gaze away from them as Ino looked at her too, in her, with so much intensity that she thought she would melt right there. The thunder once again shook them out of their daze, and Ino had the reflex to cast a glance at the clock to see what time it was. The sky was now so dark it was hard to tell.

"Holy sh… Damn!" She almost shouted, rapidly getting up and putting her sandals back in her feet. Sakura, alerted by the loss of warmth, turned to her and looked at her like she was crazy. "Fight, in five minutes!" Ino answered her questioning glare hurriedly, trying to find her kunai pouch in the room. Sakura was up in an instant, putting on her sandals and then struggling with her shin guard, until she realized in horror that she had gotten the wrong feet in the wrong shoes. Ino shot a glance at her as she blushed and tried to switch them up unnoticed, and she couldn't help but crack up at such a display coming from the pink haired girl. "Klutz!" she said out loud, trying to contain the fit of giggles that was threatening to burst out of her chest yet again. The glare she received in return totally shut her laughter down, until Sakura herself burst out in laughter. Ino laughed along. "We better hurry." One of them stated as they raced toward the arena where, despite the bad weather, it seemed like all of Konoha was gathered. All of Konoha and probably a few odd villages added to it. The bleachers were packed, and although the rain fell relentlessly and heavily, the crowd's impatient cheers beat over all noises, except for the occasional thunder. The atmosphere was electric.

Casting a glance at each other, and nodding in sync, both girls silently agreed to make one heck of an entry to please the crowd. Sakura was feeling a lot better, and had recovered enough to perform a few fancy moves. So when they reached the edge of the medical quarters, they both jumped over the ramp gracefully, Ino flipping backwards and Sakura forwards, both mirroring each other in an impressive display of spinning power. Genma, now wearing a rain coat over his clothes, raised an eyebrow at their sudden appearance, and soon smiled. "Ladies and Gentlemen, citizens of Konohagakure, and other hidden villages, Hokage, Kazekage. Fear not because the rain will not stop our two brave kunoichis from battling it out for you all to witness this afternoon!" A lightning bolt flashed in the background as if to prove it's point, and Genma waited for the thunder to roll before he continued. "Without further ado, I present to you the match between the fiery Haruno Sakura, and the raging Yamanaka Ino! May the best woman win!"

Already soaking wet, the two kunoichis looked at each other and smiled. "Well, pig. It's time we settle that tie we had last time." Sakura said, loud enough to cover the rain's banter, but so nobody else would hear. She reached up for her forehead protector and took it off swiftly. Ino nodded and slid hers off her waist. "I'm not going to let you win, billboard brow." They both tied it to their forehead at the same time and fell into a fighting stance straight away. The crowd raged, urging them to start already.

Ino finally took the initiative and traveled the distance between her and Sakura in a flash, sending a round kick towards the pink haired girl's head as soon as she reached her destination. Sakura, as if she had seen the move coming from miles away, simply raised her arm to meet the blow, and using the impact as propulsion, launched a kick of her own at the blonde's gut. Due to her foot still being in the air, Ino simply flew back upon impact, landing roughly, but still managing to get a decent hold on the ground and back flipping to her feet and into a crouched position. Sakura was already heading her way, fist reeled back and ready to strike – and whatever it hit, it would cause damage. Deciding that the best defense was offense, Ino chose to charge at Sakura, dashing from her spot and closing in on the girl so quickly that the pink haired girl never saw the uppercut hitting her chin.

Sakura was however quick enough to grab hold of Ino's fist as her body jerked back from the impact, taking the blonde down with her and kicking her over her head before hitting the ground. She rolled to get back on her feet and went after Ino as the blonde was doing just the same. Their fists connected together, Ino wincing in pain at the reminder that this arm had been broken just a couple hours ago, Sakura sighing in disappointment as she realized she had missed her chakra punch.

They kept exchanging blows for a while, but none of them really tried harder than the other. They'd have this certainty that this or that strike would be the final one, and then at the last second would hold back just a little, and reduce the impact. It's panting that they came to a standstill at some point, each holding a kunai in front of their faces, at eye level, the rain coming down on them, their hair stuck to their face, their clothes clinging to their body, and a thin spark at the point of the weapon due to the lighting of the stadium. "Warm up's over." Ino stated, not moving, her stance unfaltering. Sakura agreed with a groan. "Sorry for the pain, forehead." The next thing anyone in the audience could make out was the clanging of metal, and a sudden thunderbolt lit the whole fighting area, causing the two girls to look like shadows in a world of white. The effect was overly dramatic.

It was only a while later that everyone noticed how close the lightning bolt had fallen, and although most of them knew that there were tools around the stadium to prevent the fall of thunder onto the audience, the people started running away, scared. In a matter of seconds, the cheers had been replaced by worried screams, kids crying, and ninjas trying their best to control the panicked crowd. Perplexed by the sudden change of atmosphere, Ino and Sakura decided to interrupt their fight and take a look at what was going on.

Another bolt came crashing down onto the stadium, inside a section where a lot of people were trying to get out, squeezed together at the exit. The bleachers collapsed, took on fire, and the explosion propelled a few persons away, screaming loudly in fear and pain. "What the hell?" Sakura said, her eyes wide in shock. Ino walked up to her, her face mimicking her friend's, jaw hanging open. "We're under attack…" Was her quiet reply as she remembered Shikamaru's words from earlier.

Just then, another shot of thunder came crashing down into another section of the stadium, this time striking right into the crowd, the shrieks and yelps for help resulting from it proof that some people had died in the process. ANBUs were now obviously all over the place and preparing to ward off any other attacks, but damage was already done.

"What do you mean, under attack?" Sakura nearly shouted so her friend would hear her over the cacophony the stadium was drowning in. Ino tried to find a way to quickly explain what she didn't know, but Shizune's voice interrupted her line of thought. "No time to explain, your match is over." _Not again, another draw against Sakura? Damn this isn't fair. _Ino couldn't help but be a little disappointed hearing that. But then again, they'd have time to settle this some other day… Hopefully. A glance to Sakura confirmed to her that the other girl was thinking the same. "So what do we do now?"

Sakura's question was answered by a sigh. Apparently Shizune didn't know more than them. "The lightning must come from somewhere. Tsunade already dispatched a team to go and find the owner of this jutsu." As she spoke, a few more bolts had come crashing down on the diminishing crowd, escaping the lightning proof net jutsu that had been hastily set. There would be a lot of casualties. "And there's already enough ninjas working on helping the crowd escape. So now…" A resounding alarm, loud and clear, haunting because of the echo caused by the weather, interrupted Shizune's explanation. It was the sign that Konoha was under an important attack, but how was that possible? Someone or something would have noticed the ninjas before they arrived!

"What the fuck…" This time it was Ino trailing off, looking at Shizune pleadingly. The pure look of fear on her sensei's face sent shivers through her spine. Sakura gulped hard next to her, and edged closer, seeking off the little warmth she could find in the situation. Ino instinctively wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulders and held her tight. She happened to also need the comfort. "Okay, you two." Shizune said, trying to keep her composure. "Are to go on a reconnaissance mission and give me a report on the number of troops out there. I'll be gathering whoever can fight so we can face off against them. Dismissed." Sakura and Ino looked at each other and then back to Shizune and let out a conviction-lacking "Hai" before taking a running start to getting out of the stadium by the quickest way: up and over the wall.

"That's impossible… It's…" Ino said before her voice caught in her throat. There were a few brave shinobis from the Leaf village desperately trying to ward off a couple dozens of the attackers. There was at the very least fifty of them, just on this side. "How'd they get here?" Sakura finished the question that was hanging in the air. There was no way such an army could cross the hidden fire country's borders without being noticed… Unless.

"Asasenkou…" Sakura muttered, pulling onto Ino's shirt so the blonde would follow her back to the arena, where Shizune had picked up all the ninjas she had managed to find: a hungry Chouji, a barely standing Kiba, a wary and tired Shikamaru, a slumped Shino, and a handful of chuunins they barely knew that had been in the crowd. The storm was still raging over their heads, and the rain made it hard to even keep their eyes open, so bad that they were squinting to see each other. "So?" The dark haired woman asked, bewildered by the look worn by the two girls. "About … fifty of… them… at the main gates." Ino panted between words, trying to find her breath. Sakura put her hand in the girls back and continued in her place. "They're _Hawk_ nins. I'm pretty sure of it."

Shizune gasped, more in self-loathing than surprise as she realized that it was written in the sky – something like that was bound to happen. It was obvious that no village related even the slightest to Ematais and their past grudges toward Konoha would ever really want only peace and recognition. No matter how sincere it's emissaries looked like – well sincere was a very big word to describe them. They **had** seen it coming, to an extent. But had never planned something like **that. **"We're going to go help the others on the front line." She simply stated, knowing full well that it was a desperate attempt at saving their village, which was probably useless. But they couldn't just stand there and do nothing. Shizune was the first to leap away, heading the way Ino and Sakura had come back through, and everyone followed, except for a pink haired girl who grabbed a blonde's wrist, making her turn around. "Ino, wait!" She said, pleadingly. A thunderbolt crashed right next to them, but neither jumped. The arena was now completely empty of people, the ninjas were fighting a battle. They were alone, under the cold rain. "Hn?" Ino had asked, her face just as pleading as Sakura's. " Nev… " The words _never mind_ caught in her throat. Somehow that night where they had nearly kissed – because yes, that was what was going to happen, now that she thought back to it – came back to her memory and she couldn't bring herself to try and say anything. So instead, she grabbed Ino's collar and pulled the other girl in for a heated but short kiss.

"I love you too, Sakura." Ino had answered once her lips were free again, tears threatening to spill from the corner of her eyes. Despite the rain, she knew Sakura was crying, and pulled her into a tight hug. "We'll live through this." She tried convincing herself as well as Sakura. _This isn't a hopeless situation, right? We can make it, and not lose too many cherished ones… Tell me this isn't the end of it all._ She winced and took her now lover's hand as she released the hug, pulling on it softly, knowing that they were going to face their fates, and could only hope for a not-so-sad ending.

The front lines, where most of the fighting took place, fit the description of chaos perfectly. Now that everyone from Konoha was there though, it looked like there was hope for the situation, in the end. A lot of lives would be lost in the process, but Konoha would survive. Ino even spotted her father holding his own against a bull-like man, for half a second before the melee and rain got too dense for her to notice anything anymore. "Maybe we should get them from the back." Sakura stated, having somehow found her cool, her face a slab of pure stone. She was braced for combat and although Ino didn't really enjoy seeing her friend that way, she felt a sense of pride engulf her. She had to be just as strong as her and show that she was a true shinobi too. Shizune nodded, but just as she was about to yell the order to the rest of their makeshift unit, a wave of screams caught their attention. It came from the other side of the village.

A man in a torn ANBU uniform landed next to the group, groaning in pain. _So typical of the situation._ Ino thought despite herself. The injured messenger thing was so cliché that she couldn't help but make some sarcasm out of it – in her own head. "The Ematai and his friends are attacking the villagers!" He said in one breath, coughing up some blood afterwards. Shizune had gulped and put her hand on the man's shoulder. "We're taking care of it." Her voice lacked confidence – heck, it was shaky from fear. But she knew that something **had** to be done. The shinobi were supposed to fight and die, but not the villagers, not if they could prevent it.

The small unit reached the building where most of the villagers had been gathered to after following the ANBU member, pretty sure they were in to witness a slaughter. The screams coming from around them did imply that some people were being killed. But it also meant that most of them were still alive. "Whadda hell are you sayin' Ike?" Dasane Hanmaru's voice resonated from a higher ground. A lightning bolt lit the three man's silhouettes in the dark as there was a slight pause in the heated conversation. Well, Iketetsomaru was as calm as ever. "I said we don't need to kill them. We're losing, anyway."

"I think he's lost his mind." This time it was clearly someone else talking, and judging by the fact there was only three man there, the clipped accent most likely belonged to Asasenkou Izlude. "Yea we're on a mission dude. Ya can't jes' decide to disobey orders like 'dat!"

"I told you we've lost. Why create any more bloodshed than necessary?" All the calm and cold was lost, these words had resonated loud and clear through the street on which the building was. Iketetsomaru was pleading his teammates. "With **you **in our ranks…" Izlude answered, taking a look back and noticing that they were not alone anymore. "There ain't no way the Hawks can lose."

Hanmaru hmpfed before jumping up and landing in front of the group, right next to Ino. "Well if it isn't them friends from 'da chuunin exam." He said tauntingly, making a point to show he had his hammer in hand, and was ready to use it. Izlude flashed next to him, and Iketetsomaru followed suit. Everyone assumed a fighting stance, except for the Ematai. "Don't attack them." He commanded, his voice breaking halfway through the order. "Watcha saying pal. Ya don't know what yer doin' anymore!" Hanmaru protested, but his stance visibly lost power in the threat factor. Izlude however was ready as ever to zoom in for the kill. He was stopped short of stabbing through Shizune by Iketetsomaru himself, who held the intricate sword with his bare hand. "It's an order Izzy!" The boy's voice cracked as it sounded like he was about to cry.

Sakura's heart sank as she heard it, and all the pieces fell in place. _So that's why he's been looking so down earlier today. He knew he had to do this and didn't want to… _She was startled out of her thoughts by Kiba elbowing her gingerly. "What?" She mouthed, glad that the Hawk nin's attention was elsewhere. The Inuzuka's youngest clan member discretely pointed to his dog, and then to a scar on Sakura's leg that was almost healed, and then to the building where frequent screams could be heard. _He wants to break in the building using his smoke bomb technique?_ Sakura gave him a confused look in answer, and Kiba sighed as he bit his lip, looking slightly annoyed. _Why is he telling **me** that, what am I supposed to understand?_

**_Keep everyone out of his attack range, baka._**

_What? What do you mean out of… OH! _ The pink haired girl's jade eyes grew wide in understanding as she nodded to Kiba. Having witnessed the attack from the inside twice already, she should be able to keep everyone out of harm's way while Kiba and Akamaru got rid of the lesser nuisances in the surroundings and went up to the villagers to protect them. "I'd say my duty is now to kill you." A spine-shrilling voice rang out as the ground was suddenly covered in smoke – made much more sparse by the rain, but it would still work long enough to get out of close range of the three Taka ninjas. "Everyone follow my chakra!" Sakura yelled, concentrating her chakra into the ground so that she could pinpoint the safest position for everyone. Ino was the first to move to a spot where she felt Sakura's presence more than anything, and soon everyone followed. The Gatsuuga jutsu now in process, the wolf going crazy – Sakura had indeed understood the attack pattern and smiled faintly when she saw a hint of fangs a bit farther, and the glow of claws even farther, knowing that everyone in the rapidly vanishing cloud of smoke was unharmed.

What she didn't expect to see was Iketetsomaru with his hand literally piercing through Izlude's frail body as chakra still emanated from it, the smaller guy hanging onto it like a dead animal. The Ematai's face was distorted as he tried to keep from crying at what he had just done – the flood seals under his left eye glowing brightly. Hanmaru was staring at him literally dumbfounded, his hammer falling to the ground at his side in a loud thump. "Ike, you…you're n-not serious…" The shaggy blonde stammered, the ruckus caused by Kiba being heard in the background. Shizune quickly motioned for a few members of the unit to follow him.

"I didn't want to do that!" The dark haired man let his arm fall, the small body slumping to the ground in the process. A pool of blood already forming under it as the rain washed it away from both of their skins. His scream was still resonating in the air, and as if the sky had heard his plea, the rain slacked a little. Not that it would change anything to the situation. But it was a nice break after being drenched and hammered on by water for nearly half an hour. Hanmaru was looking up at his friend with disbelief written all over his features. "H-he's… You. I… I can't do that. My sister… Ike…"

"I'll save her." Despite himself, Iketetsomaru made that statement convincing.

"Ya can't defeat _him_ Ike." Hanmaru's voice was a little less shaky now.

"I'm stronger than him." His voice was gaining back in strength. Shizune, Sakura and Ino watched intently.

"Naaaaayh! You've got more raw power, true, but you can't even control your flood seals." The blonde boy took a step toward his friend, as if to weight a bit more on his argument.

"We can do it, together." The thunder resonated from afar, and the rain once again receded, now falling softly onto what was left of the villager rescue team, and the two Hawk nins. The Ematai was pleading to his friend. Once more, the tall hammer-wielding man hmpfed. He appeared thoughtful for a moment. "Why'd you kill Izzy?"

Ike looked down at his former friend for a moment and swallowed the lump in his throat. "He was going to kill them… her." He said timidly pointing to Sakura. Hanmaru closed his eyes in an expression close to exasperation, and when he reopened them the first thing he did was pick up his hammer. "Idiot." He said, preparing for the usual slap upside his head. But nothing came. "Are you with me or not?" The Ematai survivor asked instead, causing Hanmaru to look around at the three remaining women in front of them. His expression then slowly turned to a grin. "'Course Ike. I'd follow you to the gates of Hell if I had to. Isn't that what I promised you?"

"Arigato." Iketetsomaru nearly whispered as he looked down once more, sadness and confusion apparently still tearing him apart. Chouji walked out of the building not long after, eyeing the two hawk nins strangely, perplexed to find that neither Ino, nor Sakura were ready to fight anymore. "Uh. Everything's under control in there." He reported to Shizune, who shot a glance to Iketetsomaru before answering. "Okay, stay here and protect the villagers. We're going back to the main fight with them. They're on our side, don't worry."

"Err." Hanmaru tentatively voiced, extending his gloved hand in front of himself. "I'll scout the village ta make sure there ain't nobody else hidden or wanderin' around that we don't wanna see. Right?" Shizune thought for a moment before giving her approval, and as soon as it was given, the tall blonde smiled at her curtly and then leapt off in a random direction. "Ok, let's go!"

The battle was still raging strong at the village gates. There were undoubtedly less people fighting by now, and the ground was blood tainted where no injured or dead body laid. There had been no time to prepare a combat tactic, so everyone was pretty much randomly thrown together in the melee. Tsunade was standing near the battle, barking orders desperately over the clash of weapons and occasionally warding off an opponent that had had the guts to come up to her, usually with a ground breaking punch. The small group composed of Shizune, Ino, Sakura and Iketetsomaru made it's way around the melee unnoticed, and struck from behind, throwing shurikens and kunais at the enemy troops, most attaining their targets. The Ematai had composed a few cryptic hand signs while the three kunoichis had started fighting the first ninjas that had noticed their presence. He then crept down and an electric blue aura engulfed him. "Futon: Kaze Dageki No Jutsu!" (Wind Element: Wind Strike Technique).

The simple name of the jutsu had half of the army of ninjas paralyze in their track. The ones that didn't were those who knew little or nothing about the Ematai clan. The rest had wide eyes at the mention of the forbidden technique. Shizune was one of them. "He's going to kill everyone!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, gaining Tsunade's attention in the process. "Leaf ninjas, down!" The Hokage yelled louder. The scene that followed was impressive, to say the least. All the Doton (Earth Element) users sank into the ground, sometimes grabbing a friend nearby and dragging him or her in as well. Then a blade of wind literally ran through the remaining ranks, and a handful of the ninjas that had stayed over the ground were sliced in two, the upper halves of their bodies scattering everywhere. All of that had happened within a ten seconds span. Surprisingly enough, no leaf ninja appeared to have been mortally wounded during the assault, and Iketetsomaru was now standing a few feet away from the opposing army leader, his forehead protector in hand instead of around his thigh. He was holding it out as if he wanted the other bewildered man to take it, but when he reached out to do so, the Ematai snatched it away and threw it into the melee that had started again, although now the fight was pretty much one sided.

"If you were smart, you'd call off your men and withdraw." He spat at the man, who remained unphazed. "Or you don't care about the lives of your men?" He added, trying to coax a reaction from the older man. He had a headband around his forehead, black, like the rest of his clothes. Striked with yellow here and there. The Hawk symbol was all over them too, and he held in his hands two large katanas. "I don't." The man stated, still showing no sign of emotion whatsoever. "Well then…" In less than a second Iketetsomaru's fist had pierced through the man's chest much like he had done to Izlude, only this time he was intending to kill.

Ino was just finishing slicing the throat of a particularly vicious man with a kunai when the Ematai's voice resonated loud and clear through the place. "As the new commander of this army… " Everyone halted their movement, waiting for the order. "I declare this battle over. We surrender to the Leaf village to prevent anymore bloodshed!" To most of everyone's surprise, all of the surviving Taka warriors kneeled down in submission almost immediately. Hanmaru walked in on the scene and couldn't stifle a giggle. "Do I have to kneel down too, Ike?" He shouted, as the sounds of battle totally stopped. Tsunade, completely thrown off by the turn of events, had trouble finding her voice to enunciate her following orders. "Take all the survivors of the hawk village and put them in custody." She shot a glance at the Ematai boy and still couldn't believe what she was seeing. The Leaf village had been saved by a member of the clan that had most wanted it's demise. "If they have any medics, let them heal the injured. Take our wounded to the clinic and get them treated." Her voice had lost of its power toward the end, as she felt overwhelmed by tiredness and confusion. She looked at the dark haired man again and met his icy stare, her face, even in the distance, showing a "I want to talk to you" expression.

Everyone was busy picking up their injured partners, the steady ninjas were taking care of the less steady ones, and there didn't seem to be any loathing between both countries. Something was definitely off. That's what Sakura was telling herself as she observed the scene from where she was, holding a now trembling Ino who still couldn't accept that she had done her first kill. "Shizune-sama?" the pink haired girl asked, brushing a tear off of Ino's cheek with her thumb softly, tempted to kiss the blonde, but reluctant to do it in public, yet. The dark haired woman looked at her curiously, waiting for the question. "Isn't it weird that a minute ago they were all wanting to rip each other apart, and now they're acting all buddy-buddy?"

"I have the feeling none of them really wanted to fight this battle in the first place. I may be wrong, but this might be good news to them." Ino sniffled and looked up at her sensei. "If we take into consideration what Ike and Hanmaru talked about earlier… The guy that leads them is some crazy strong ninja. They're probably relieved to have allies against him now." Shizune suddenly had a far away look appear on her face. "I just hope…" She trailed off and sighed softly before blinking and letting her face return to normal. "Let's go see Tsunade."

"So you're telling me that you just decided to disobey orders a month after receiving them?" The Fifth Hokage was rubbing her forehead in confusion, not understanding the Ematai's decision one second. Hanmaru decided to answer that question for his friend who was already slightly blushing at the prospect of saying why. He gently elbowed his friend in the stomach and grinned. "See Ike here, he's got 'da hots for that Haruno girl." He then leaned in dramatically and feigned to whisper. "Even though he knows he can't win against 'dat blonde girl." Tsunade's face scrunched up the slightest bit at that comment, but it went unnoticed by the three approaching women and the two males. Everyone was much more preoccupied by Ike's blush. "You'll pay for that Han…" He was muttering under his breath when a grateful pink haired smiling face came into his view, deepening his blush even more.

"The villagers are safe and under protection of the small unit I formed." Shizune reported, not losing any time. There were more pressing matters than a teenage boy with an obvious crush. Tsunade nodded and appeared to think for a while. "How long…" she said, addressing Hanmaru. "… until your leader finds out about… this?" The man's stance visibly shrank and he sighed before answering. "With a little luck, he already knows."

"We must not wait until he counter-attacks. If he comes here, the village is doomed." Was Ike's calm and resigned statement in response to both the Hokage's and his friend's worries. "I'll go after him, on my own." He added, trying to suppress the shiver that the thought of facing that man alone caused to run up his spine. "This situation is my fault to begin with." Tsunade shook her head sadly. "I can't let you go without supervision, as sincere as you may sound."

"I'm coming too Ike!" Hanmaru protested. Ike simply sighed. "Hanmaru, you have to go back to the village and save your sister. And with all your respect Hokage-sama, no escort you might send with me, if I'd decide to turn back, could stop me from doing so." The older woman looked at the man and smirked despite the situation. "Unless I use your own feelings against you."

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"I can't believe this…" Sakura muttered as she picked up her bag and filled it with what she'd need for the mission she had just been assigned. Ino was standing in her door frame and watching her preparing, quiet. "Sending me on a mission with my concussion…" They had an hour before leaving. "Well hey, you should feel proud, this mission is ranked S, Tsunade would never send three genins on such a mission. It probably means we're going to be chuunins when we return." Sakura rolled her eyes as she stopped what she was doing to face Ino. "That is **if** we come back."

Sakura's mother was walking by her daughter's room as she had said this, and couldn't help but stop in the doorway next to Ino. Her eyes were wide in apprehension and she couldn't help but begin shaking as she stood there. "You're going on a dangerous mission?" She asked, in a worried tone. Sakura, a lump in her throat, couldn't find the words to answer her mother, so instead she dropped the rain coat she was about to stuff in her back pack and ran up to her mother, hugging her tightly. Ino stood there and watched, tears forming at the corner of her eyes. This was touching, and hard, and so unfair. _Sakura's right. We might not come back. This might be the last time we see our families…_

"Uh, S-Sakura…" Ino began, causing Sakura's head to tilt her way. "Yes Ino?" The blonde gulped hard before she pushed herself off the door frame and into the hallway. "I'm going to go say good bye to my mom and dad too. See you at the entrance in an hour?" Sakura, tears streaking her face, merely nodded as her mother pulled away from the hug. "Good bye Ino." Sakura's mother said softly, gesturing for the girl to join in the embrace. She gladly complied, hugging both of the Haruno women warmly before heading off. "Good bye Mrs. Haruno."

Once home, Ino hastily put her things together and packed them so she'd be ready to leave and have as much time as she could to spend with her father and mother. So when she walked down the stairs and found that they, in fact, weren't home, her heart sank. _I'm sure I've seen my father fight earlier. Oh my god, what if he was injured during the battle?_ She grabbed her things and took a running start towards the hospital, hoping she'd be able to find her family in the chaos that'd most likely be going on there.

She was lucky enough to somehow bypass the queue of people that was waiting to talk to the receptionist by expertly stepping aside from one villager who had tried to punch another because he had tried to steal his place or something just that childish. It didn't take her long to run up to her father's room once she knew the number, but she wasn't ready for the sight that greeted her.

"Dad!" She screamed, traveling the few feet that separated her from her father's bed in an instant, he heart now feeling like it was clutched between vice grips. Her father was apparently sleeping, a pained expression engraved on his face that contrasted greatly with the usually happy face he wore. Covered in blood soaked bandages, he had little in common with the strong Inoichi Yamanaka that she wanted to see before leaving. "Ino…" Her mother, whispered, pulling her daughter in a hug. "Mom!" The blonde sniffled, hugging back with all she had, clinging to her mother as if her life depended on it. "He's okay, hun." Her mother had reassured her, stroking her back gently. "No vital spots were touched, he's going to pull through without any problem." She had added, pulling back to look at her girl, noticing the traveling kit she carried around. "You're leaving?" She asked, her comforting expression turning to one of concern. Ino cast a glance at her father before she answered, finding it somehow very hard to breath right then. "S-Rank mission…" It didn't take more details for her mother to hug her once more, this time not releasing her hold the slightest even after Ino had began crying, or when she stopped.

Then out of nowhere Ino remembered about that day when her mother had mentioned this sick idea of her and Sakura being in love. Something in her pushed her to let her mother know that she was right. It told her that her mother would be happy to find out. She slowly pulled herself off the comforting embrace. "Mom. There's something I want to tell you." Her mother was looking at her lovingly, and if there was any trace of doubt in what she was going to do, it left Ino's mind exactly at that moment. "What is it baby?" The words were spoken softly, and Ino's voice mirrored the tone when she opened her mouth to speak. "Sakura and me… we're in love. You were right." The woman in front of her couldn't hold back a giggle. "I never said you two would end up together, not that I remember anyway." Ino giggled as well, scrunching up her face in a half pout. "You subtly hinted at that with that sick idea of yours, remember?" Her mother smiled. "So it wasn't that sick after all?" Ino smiled back and then nuzzled her mother's shoulder. "Not at all."

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"Hey Sakura?" Kiba's voice resonated behind her as she was threading towards the village gates, where they were supposed to meet Iketetsomaru and the fourth squad member for the mission they were assigned. She stopped in her tracks and waited for the other kid to catch up to her, then started walking again. "Yeah?" She said, watching him intently. His usual grin was more grim this time around, and he had cuts and bruises all over his face – although it was probably worse under his clothes. He seemed to have trouble following her and so she slowed down her pace. "Well I know you're leaving and that this mission is dangerous and stuff." He said timidly, playing with a small bag in his hands. "And I wanted to thank you for, well…" She giggled at his attitude – who would've thought she could witness an unconfident Kiba. "I should be the one thanking you, Kiba-kun." Kiba's expression morphed into a confused one, which was quite funny to watch. "What did I do?" He asked, completely clueless. Sakura smiled at him and shrugged. "You always considered me an equal, and never pitied me. That means a lot to me." There it was, the usual wolf grin on Inuzuka Kiba's face. He stopped and held out the bag he was holding to Sakura. "That's for the mission, seeing as I'm not going. Soldier pills. They might come in handy." He explained, waiting for Sakura to accept the gift, which she did promptly. "Thank you." She said softly, causing his grin to grow wider. "Good luck Haru… Sakura-chan."

"Thank you." Sakura repeated, resuming her way towards the village gates. She didn't want to be late.

The sound of three men and a woman conversing came to her ears through the soft rain as she neared the meeting point, and soon she was able to hear what they were saying, along with Ino who had joined up with her in the mean time.

"You know who he is Tsunade. You're sending the girls to their dooms." Hatake Kakashi's voice resonated around them, causing the two girls to stop while they were unnoticed. "Hmpf." Ino's eyes widened as she recognized Shikamaru's intonation. So which one of them was the fourth member? "Why won't you go with them then, Kakashi?" Tsunade's voice this time. If the girls had watched what was going on, they would've seen the fear-stricken look in Kakashi's eyes – luckily enough, they didn't. "I… just can't." He lamely offered, earning another grunt from Shikamaru, as well as an understanding look from Iketetsomaru. "I can understand how someone wouldn't want to have to deal with that kind of MHFF!"

A raised eyebrow at each other pushed the two girls to go and see what was going on. Kakashi was inches away from the Ematai, his hand firmly pressed to the boy's face. "Don't ever mention it." Ike merely nodded and Kakashi released his grip, his expression turning sheepish as he noticed Sakura and Ino. "I'm sorry about that." He said, scratching the back of his neck. Sakura instinctively ran up to him and hugged him, causing the copy nin to blink in surprise. "Kakashi-sensei. Please come with us…" She asked pleadingly, and suddenly Ino wished that Asuma was there so she could say goodbye too. An hour had not been enough to say goodbye to all of her friends. Heck, a day wouldn't have been enough.

"I'm sorry Sakura." Kakashi said, his voice slightly shaky. He patted the pink haired girl's head and smiled faintly through his mask – a sad attempt at looking comforting. "I'm sure Naruto will be jealous of what you've done when he comes back." He added, causing Sakura to giggle. "Yes." She said, releasing her grip on her sensei and this time turning to Tsunade. This time it was the Hokage's turn to hug without warning. "You have to come back, Sakura."

It was all very touching, but Ino couldn't help but feel left out at how her friend got all the goodbyes, and she got none. Save Shikamaru, but he was probably tagging along for the mission. She sighed softly and tore her gaze away from the scene, tears slipping from her hold as she tried hard not to cry. A strong hand on her shoulder suddenly made her jerk her head to the side to see who it was. Her jaw nearly fell when she saw Asuma, Chouji, the whole Team Eight – Hinata included, and a good part of the village gathered behind them, a certain Kiba winking at her.

Afraid to show how touched she was by that very special sending, she buried her head into her sensei's chest to cry, immediately feeling his strong arms wrapping around her shoulders. "Well I sure am proud of you Ino." Asuma said, grinning, but his eyes telling a whole different story. It was hard for him to say goodbye too. "I'll make sure that it stays that way." Ino sniffled, withdrawing from the embrace slowly. She then took a look at Chouji and smiled warmly. "I'll miss you, Ino." The boy pouted, his voice sincere. Ino wasn't sure if she should hug him. Sure she had grown attached to her teammate over time, as different as they may have been. However, she didn't have time to dwell on the question because Chouji had taken the initiative and hugged her timidly. Well that wasn't so bad.

Sakura was now next to Ino and smiling faintly, trying to keep her composure in front of everyone. "We have to go…" she whispered into the blonde's ear. They glanced around again and turned back, Iketetsomaru had already began walking away. The girls both nodded to Tsunade and Kakashi, taking a deep breath, for courage, and began walking after him. Ino was suddenly interrupted by Shikamaru's hand on her shoulder. "I don't get no goodbye?"

Ino's eyes grew wide and she froze in her track, her mouth hanging slightly open. "I-I thought you were coming…" the blonde stuttered, unable to take her eyes off her teammate. Shikamaru tried his best to take his usual annoyed expression. "I'm needed elsewhere, apparently. Just waiting for Hanmaru to show up."

"Oh…" Was Ino's only answer. Shikamaru uncomfortably shifted where he was, unsure of what he was supposed to say right then. Goodbyes sure were troublesome. "I'll see you again when this is over, huh?" He finally asked, and Ino suddenly regained control over her muscles and hugged him tightly, but shortly. In front of everyone. A blush crept on the Nara boy's cheeks. "Yes, let's do that." She answered then, attempting a sad smile. "But…" She thought suddenly, turning to Tsunade and Sakura who was waiting for her. "Who's the fourth member of our squad then?"

Kakashi giggled and pointed to a dog at his feet. "Pakkun will help you find the man. That's it." The dog in question took on a disinterested expression and sighed. "Why do I always have to be used in critical situations…" He whined out loud, causing everyone around to at least smile faintly, breaking the heavy atmosphere. "Well, what are you waiting for Ino?" Sakura called out to her from the road, motioning for the blonde and the dog to join the group so they could really leave. And so, after one last look to the village, she leapt in the gate's direction and ran up to Ike and Sakura, Pakkun in tow. And hoped, even if the odds were against them – from the little she knew about the man they were going to face : against hope itself - that they'd come back alive.

* * *

**AN: **Can you imagine I actually wrote that the ninja army shouted a big, loud warcry at some point in this chapter? (I replaced that! but darn, that was lame. I guess it being 3am when I wrote that part didn't help, haha.) This story has reached the 100 pages level (you can go and say "wha? but thats not a lot!", but know that i love small fonts xD And you can't say my writing is spacey, I'm good with compact paragraphs, yknow). This chapter is the longest up to now (and probably the longest in this fic, period. Unless I start fantasizing about that _man_ they're now after.) Two chapters left. Uh huh. That little. I myself have a hard time believing I'm actually going to **finish** a fic. 

Now if you really liked this one. Fear not! I already have plenty of ideas for a direct sequel. Something _slightly_ different (I can already tell you that there'll be a bit less action. As far as I may have improved with action scenes - because I used to literally suck at them - I still don't enjoy writing them all that much.), but still with Ino and Sakura, because I'll never have my fix of InoSaku (I sure hope my faithful readers won't either.). I'm still clawing at my brain for a title in the same line as this one, when I should be concentrating on finishing haha. Yep, that's me :P Oh yeah, I'm going back to work on monday, so it might take a lil while before I update again. But I will!

Thank you for reading! Feel free to leave a review if you liked it - I don't bite!


	13. Chapter 13: Product Of My Own Design

**Chapter 13: Product of My Own Design**

The sun had already pretty much set, and the light faded into the horizon when Iketetsomaru finally decided it was time for the group to stop for the night. The rain had stopped fully a while ago, and had been replaced by a vicious cold wind, turning the sweat on their skin to ice droplets. Both girls were literally shivering, barely managing to stifle the clattering of their teeth for the sake of their sanity. The rain cloak they were wearing wasn't exactly helpful – too light to be much of a protection, a bit too heavy to really allow them to move at will. Pakkun sported the expression and stance of a beaten, wet dog. The hunting dog didn't really enjoy their predicament either. Only Ike seemed to be unphazed by the weather.

"This patch of tree looks denser than the rest, the ground should be dry enough so we can sleep on it." The Ematai used a distant tone, as if scared that putting a little more energy into his speech would betray his fear. Pakkun had agreed and gone to scout the area. Ino had proposed to go grab some water, and Ike was already setting traps around the perimeter, so that left Sakura with little choice over what to do. "I'll go get some wood and start a fire." She said hesitantly, and when she received no reaction she turned to go and do just that. A hand gripping her wrist, however, cut her motion off short. "No fire. The smoke would give our position away, and we don't need to turn into the prey already."

Ike was right, and Sakura mentally slapped herself for being so stupid. She could blame it on the stress of the day: she was tired and sore, and had gone through hell and back already. But a ninja was supposed to stay focused and think everything thoroughly, no matter the situation – and this was such a silly mistake. She would've normally been the first person to make remarks about it, say how idiotic it was of an idea, yet here, she was the one who proposed it. It sure didn't sound like her, and it's mumbling under her breath that she decided to sit on a log. Cursing the cold. Damning her own weaknesses. Missing the warmth of Ino.

It didn't take her long to sink her face between her knees, bracing her arms on both sides of her head. Her body was shaking from all the pent up frustration of the past few weeks – it was just all too much now.

A distinct warmth settled next to her, and she leaned into it on impulse, thinking it was Ino. The voice that talked to her told her it wasn't, but it was already too late to care. "Don't put so much pressure on yourself Sakura." Ike's voice was soft and comforting, and one of his arms wrapped itself around the pink haired girl's shoulders tentatively. "It's normal to have off days." He added, cringing at the prospect of how that could've sounded. Sakura wiggled a little into him, but didn't make a move or look like she cared about what he said. So he decided to drop it and simply hold her, figuring this was what she needed. Knowing that when her blonde friend would show up, he'd lose this flame to her once more – and to be honest, he didn't mind. Not when he knew he was probably going to die in just a few hours.

Somewhere deeper in the forest, a stumbling Ino was desperately trying to find a source of water. _I can't believe that, with all this rain, there can't be no damn pond or stream nearby._ She sighed wearily and kicked at a small rock in front of her. It echoed as it hit the ground, a little too loud to Ino's taste. She instantly whipped back, intent on finding the source of the noise, only to be literally frozen in a half twisted body motion, the water skins she was holding clattering to the ground in a ghostly, distant complain. She wanted to reach for her kunai pouch, withdraw one, fend off the attacker. Defend her life or something. But she just couldn't move anymore.

A spine shrilling howl suddenly disturbed the semi-comfortable quietness that surrounded both Ike and Sakura. Brows furrowed, the pink haired girl turned her head in Pakkun's direction to find him sitting near them in alertness, his expression as bewildered as hers. "Huh… what was that? Last time I checked, there wasn't any trace of wolves in this area." She whispered, her gaze now turning to Ike. His face was a visage of grief, lips curved down in a sad and worried smile, nose crinkled up a bit in disgust, and eyes round and surprised, glowing with a hint of an unshed tear. It was, by far, the most emotive she had ever seen the man be, and it wasn't a reassuring thought.

"Fubuki's wolf." Was the dead-panned, resonating answer that came from Iketetsomaru. Sakura frowned slightly, eyeing the Ematai questioningly until it hit her. "He's… the man we're after?" She asked half-heartedly, not sure she wanted to find out about it. If possible, Ike's features turned to a grimmer tone before he answered. "He's my… brother." Before Sakura could even form a sensible reply in her mind, Pakkun was up on her knees and looking at Ike worriedly. "Fubuki Ematai…" he whimpered, his doggy voice barely above a whisper. "… was executed about ten years ago… for being implied in the Ematai slaughter and the attack on Konoha."

Ike sighed and looked down, unable to face the inquisitive gaze of the dog and the girl in front of him. "It was a decoy. He… ran away. With his allies. And me. He was behind Yoroi-su attacking Konoha, yes." The young man bit his lip before continuing, nervously fidgeting in his lap. "It's my fault if he's still alive. I should've killed him when I had the chance… but I didn't… I couldn't… And now all these innocents died… and…"

"Tss, pathetic as usual, Ike." A voice, dark and profound, erupted from seemingly nowhere, causing the three ninjas to jump to their feet and instantly get on guard. That's when they noticed that Ino still wasn't back. Frightened at the prospect of Ino being captive, or worse, dead, Sakura looked around frantically, searching for the place where the voice might've come from. After a few moments, Ike released his guard slightly and sighed. "He's not here. One of us must've stepped into his genjutsu zone at some point." He stated calmly, although the fingers he had wrapped around the shaft of the kunai he was holding were white and bleeding from the pressure he was putting on them. The night became a sanctuary of quietness. The wind stilled, the ruffling of dead leaves stopped. The pale moonlight faded even more, and clouds darker than black hovered over the dome of tree branches that covered them from the night sky.

Pakkun let out a whimper, breaking the heavy silence that had fell on the trio. Iketetsomaru released a sigh, a breathe he wasn't aware he was holding. Sakura could only keep looking around, wishing that Ino was alright. "Okay, we need a plan…" The dark haired boy stated, listening to the forest intently. Sakura nodded slowly, her eyes now cast on the Ematai, awaiting for his orders. "When he gets here… " The boy started, releasing his grip on the kunai and letting it fall to the ground at his feet, planted upwards. "You find Ino and hide away. Just let me deal with him." Sakura was about to protest, her hand raised at about eye level, the syllable of a 'but' on the tip of her tongue, but that was all she had a chance to say before her arm was forcefully pulled behind her back. All that she was about to say, the words in her mind, shattered in a bang in her head as she shrieked in pain when a foot was pressed at the small of her back while her arm was still being held, causing something in her shoulder to crack dully. Her current position only allowed her to look at Pakkun, who was staring at the person holding her with wide, scared eyes, his small body trembling in fear.

Through her own frightened mind, she tried to make out what the hell was happening, beyond the pain and the surprise. It felt like needles were tearing at her skull from the inside, and it made assessing the situation twice as hard.

Someone was holding her in a position in which he could kill her in an instant. Someone with awesome, immense and crazy power. It was oppressing, the atmosphere felt so dense and heavy, as if a dark cloud had engulfed the area. Her first reaction was to think that Ike had gone mad, after all this feeling felt somewhat familiar. But then she spotted him from the corner of her eye and the last piece fell into place.

"Oh no little girl. You're not objecting…" The voice from earlier whispered, incredibly close to her ear. So close that she felt like her eardrum had burst and blood was seeping from it. The pressure on her back increased slightly, causing her body to arch forward, provoking another crack in her arm, much louder - and painful - than the first one. She had a vague idea of how that man's face would have the _'move and I kill her'_ expression carved on it, paired with two ice-like orbs, and a crazy smile. "Ike…" She said in a desperate tone, hoping to have a chance to talk. "Kill him, don't bother with me." The pink haired girl added, conscious of the foot threatening to tear her whole body apart. She had said that on a whim – sure the cause she was fighting for was big and all, but she still hoped she could be saved from this situation. Hope being the key word, and the aura emanating from her attacker sure didn't let a lot of it filter out. "Oh did you hear that Ike? All for the noble cause. Just like that annoying little blonde I met on the way." Sakura braced herself for a wicked laughter, something that would pair with the dead voice of the man holding her. Her heart instantly clenched when she realized it was a warm, happy laugh that erupted from the man's throat instead. Just as if he was really enjoying himself, but not in a maniacal way. That just after mentioning he had seen – and probably killed – Ino. Tears fell from her eyes unchecked, she didn't care about much anything else at that moment.

"Let her go." Ike's voice came from somewhere that sounded distant to the pink haired girl. A feeling of familiarity settled into her, remembering how Izlude had been told to put the kunai down in the exact same tone, just a bit more than two months ago, as he had held it to her throat. "Or what?" The other man answered, giggling. "You'll kill me?" He added, suddenly letting go of Sakura, causing her to fall to the ground. She landed on her usable arm and instinctively rolled to the side, dodging a sure foot headed for the back of her head. She knew that if another hit came, she wasn't going to be as lucky and wouldn't dodge it, but hopefully, Ike was on his brother before any attack could be landed, and Sakura got to see the man named Fubuki for the first time.

He was tall and handsome. Dirty blond hair hanging just above his shoulders, framing the face of a man that had nothing crazy or wild about it. He adorned a white cape over a simple dark mesh shirt, two glowing blue long triangles were visible through it on the right side of his abdomen. He wore long gloves and high boots the same color as his cape, and his short pants were of a crimson red, held at his waist by a belt with the Hawk village's symbol on the buckle. That man might have been a murderer, the feeling of his presence incredibly threatening, but his appearance was quite different. Two more fang marks on the left side of his chin were glowing dangerously as he eyed his brother suspectingly, all along a smile gracing his features as if he wasn't scared of anything, at all. His eyes were peaceful, of a blue pure as ice, glowing in the pale moonlight as if possessing a life of their own. "Sakura, just go, now!" Ike diverted his attention for half of a second, begging the pink haired girl to run and hide to evade the fight that would come next. That's how he never saw the wave of ice that hit him straight in the face, slicing a wound through his cheek right in the middle of his own Ematai power marks. Recoiling slightly from the hit, he was too late to notice that the next attack was not aimed his way, but Sakura's way.

Ino's cry of pain could be heard miles from where she was as the huge chunk of chakra-created ice pierced through her left shoulder, stopping it short of piercing through Sakura's heart. Iketetsomaru had had the time to put his focus back on the man in front of him, one he couldn't call a brother anymore. "You'll pay for this!" He yelled, lunging at Fubuki and crashing his shoulder into the man's chest, sending him tumbling backwards until he got a grip on an air wall and bounced back at his opponent. An awesome display of martial arts and _'wind walking'_ ensued, both Ematai's struggling to hit faster and harder than the other, the level of power emanating from them dangerously rising. But only Pakkun could witness, from his hiding spot in a nearby tree. Sakura and Ino were not exactly in a condition to just sit and watch. Sakura noticed, with slight reluctance, how battered Ino was, save for the chunk of ice slowly melting in the huge, bleeding wound it had created. It looked like she had been in quite the fight before getting back to camp. Her usually peppy eyes were dull and tired, and even though her face was very close to Sakura's, there was nothing fun in the current situation.

"Ino!" Sakura whispered, not quite daring to move, her eyes traveling over her friend's body, her mouth curved into a disturbed smile. "I'm… fine, forehead." She said through gritted teeth, visibly worried about something _other_ than her condition. Using her right arm to brace herself, a little bit higher over Sakura, she attempted a smile at her friend under her, putting little conviction in what she said next. "Get that thing out…"

Sakura couldn't help but wince. She knew for a thing that melting the ice would take too long. And simply jerking it out would be painful as hell, and for that reason, she didn't have the right to miss and not get it out in one go. She pressed her left palm to the tip of the ice chunk, causing Ino to grunt, and with her injured right arm, tried to find the other girl's hand so she could hold her down while pushing, and maybe offer some comfort as well. Ino read into Sakura's actions and grabbed her hand gently, intertwining their fingers as she did so, all the time looking at the pink haired girl's face in dread and plead. Sakura looked back and tried to mimic the faint smile, sighing softly at the prospect of what she was about to do. "Ino… this is going to…" Ino cut her off with a kiss, a little forceful. On a whim, Sakura decided this was the best time to perform her duty and pushed her arm up, sending a wave of chakra through the ice chunk to dislodge it from Ino's shoulder. The frozen weapon clattered to the ground next to them, blood soaked and fissured, just as Ino, instead of screaming in pain, bit at Sakura's bottom lip really hard, collapsing on the girl under her. Sakura, oblivious to the pain for the moment, kept her hand on the wound to heal it the best she could, and continued kissing the blonde to try and ease her pain.

Iketetsomaru tumbled to the ground and rolled to the side, sliding onto his right hand to regain his footing, getting up just in time to evade a row of ice arrows that his brother had conjured at him. He immediately took a running circle in front of him to try and land a spin kick to Fubuki's face, but his strike was barely hard enough to crack the thin yet incredibly strong layer of ice that covered the man's skin. He landed back on his feet and began to stare his opponent down, causing the older man to giggle. "What's wrong Ike, didn't remember why I'm called Blizzard?" Iketetsomaru's stance visibly shrank as the memories hit them. "That was uncalled for, Fubuki…" He said, his voice strained. Fubuki laughed. "Oh, the days when us four would go about claiming we were the Sacred Four sure are a good memory, even to me." The man smiled, sincerely, and Ike flinched. "Then why did you have to do this in the first place?" He asked, desperate. The chuckle that resounded out of Fubuki's mouth then was haunting. The man was up to something. "Need me to show you again, Ike?"

Ino and Sakura finally broke away, tears streaming down their faces from the pain they were trying to fight. They were surprised enough to find themselves inside a green spot, flooded by the sunlight. Ike and Fubuki stood out like shadows etched over a pretty background. Ino Lifted herself up and dropped to the ground next to Sakura, knowing that this was an illusion. She was still intent on watching.

"Hey Ike!" A younger version of Hanmaru ran after his friend and tackled him down, the two then struggling playfully to see who'd win this fight. The attacker was suddenly picked up by a tall kid with dark red hair, wearing a huge red scarf over his face, dressed in a fashion similar to today's Iketetsomaru. Holding the young man by the collar up to his eye level, the boy scolded. "Boo!" It caused the young Ike to laugh as he got up to his feet. "Thanks Kylan, but I could've handled him on my own." His cheerful voice echoed through the field. The older boy scolded. "Oh please Ike, what am I supposed to do if I don't save your sorry butt every day?"

Another, slightly older kid walked up behind them and ruffled up the already spiky hair of what was surely his brother. Their stances were the same, the clothes, very similar. The only difference was their hair color, the newcomer's shaggy hair taking on more of a dark brown tone. "Gah, Strife!" Came the younger's reply, causing Ike to giggle once more. Then a man that was obviously Fubuki came up to them, smiling, and glowing of a happiness that seemed foreign to the heaviness of the atmosphere. "Well everyone, today's the big day. Ike, you'll learn to release your fang marks!" He stated happily, grabbing his brother by the shoulder's and pulling him into a forceful hug. "And then we'll see if you're really the Fourth Sacred!" Kylan exclaimed, jumping up and down.

The landscape flashed and then revealed the glow of chakra emanating from Iketetsomaru (the youngest version), a pale green light illuminating the insides of what seemed like a rocky cave. "Well that's the last one of us alright!" Strife had stated, leaning back onto the wall as he observed his brother. Kylan was smiling brightly as he showed off his own recently acquired power to give Ike more of an incentive to try and produce more chakra. Fubuki was silent however, the realization and the truth of the situation suddenly dawning on him. Everyone else being too busy celebrating the reunion of the Sacred Four, they never noticed he had walked away. The light dimmed until everyone was back into the present time and place.

"Fubuki – Blizzard. Strife – Stone Wall. Kylan – Fire Storm. Ike – Tempest." Fubuki seemed absent as he recalled everyone's name, and the element to which they belonged. Iketetsomaru was frozen in place, unable to utter a word. "Ike, the first Ematai to ever bear eight fangs. I was a proud big brother." The older man continued. He took a step forward, withdrawing a katana from inside his cape. "If only Strife hadn't refused to follow my ideas. If only you hadn't been promised so much more than me. I wouldn't have had to do what I did. This is all your fault Iketetsomaru." The grin on his face turned to a grim smile, and then his eyes grew bigger and the power emanating from him grew stronger, now glowing a dark blue. "And since you won't atone for your sins, brother, let me do it for you!"

In a flash, Fubuki was next to Ike and his sword was slicing through the remains of a clone. Surely enough Ike was hidden somewhere preparing his next strike. Fubuki took the opportunity to attack the two girls left apparently defenceless. It's however his own wolf that blocked Fubuki's attack. Before he could even realize what was going on, Ike was crouched next to him and then jumped up, taking both the wolf and Fubuki up in the air where they resumed fighting.

Surprised, Sakura turned to Ino wondering if the blonde had possessed the wolf without her even noticing, but the blonde's expression told her otherwise. Then she remembered how, during the chuunin exam, Ike had almost taken control over her body, and she sighed turning her attention back to the fight. The Ematai had taken his brother far enough from them already that they didn't have to be worried about being caught in the crossfire.

"I…" Ike struck a fist to his brother's abdomen, and the ice that covered him gave in slightly. "Did…" A kick followed at the exact same spot, pushing Fubuki farther back, closer to the ground. "Not…" Ike turned over and directed his other foot towards the bruised area, intent on finishing the job of knocking his brother back to the ground. "Kill them!!" A glowing teal aura engulfed him at this right moment as he drove Fubuki right into the ground, despite him having blocked the last attack. Upon landing, Ike was breathing hard and irregularly, and the still air around the area had started moving again, strong winds sweeping everything off the ground, up into the air, and straight into invisible walls. The tension around him was electric, so much that you could see static sparks fly about.

The ground literally exploded as Fubuki got out of the hole Ike had dug him in, his own power rivaling Iketetsomaru's, and slowly but surely growing stronger and stronger, his whole body now glowing a dark, very dark blue. Almost black. The only thing that could really be seen on him was his glowing marks, and his eyes, that were cool as ice, the glow so pure it looked like illuminated snow. Ike braced himself, knowing that, unlike his brother, he couldn't control his flood seals – the only reason why he hadn't chosen to kill the guy before now. But that was it. His brother had sent him to a peaceful village with plans to destroy it. He had made him kill one of his best friend, and on top of it all, had accused him of the murder of his other two brothers.

Sakura and Ino got to their feet and ran as far as they could from the snowstorm that had ensued from both of the Ematai's power. The pink haired girl suddenly tripped and fell face first, and when she got up, Ino wasn't within sight anymore. The clash of the fight could be heard still, along with the wind, but the view was obscured by falling snow, that slapped Sakura's face with each breeze that hit her. "Ino!" She yelled desperately, getting only her own echo in response.

Ino was up in a tree, desperately trying to shield herself from the wind and see where Sakura had gone to. If there was one thing she hadn't wanted to happen, it was to lose track of her girlfriend. It had already been hard enough to just convince Tsunade to let her go with Sakura. The older woman had been reluctant, if not totally opposed to the idea, and Ino's explanation of wanting to be by Sakura's side if something was to happen didn't seem to help her case the slightest. It had finally taken the promise that she'd protect Sakura with her own life, and a push from Shizune to finally convince Tsunade that she should go with them. The total look of disgust she had had to face when telling the Fifth Hokage about her love for Sakura didn't really register as a good sign either. Although she tried to show it as little as possible around her apprentice, Tsunade definitely was disturbed by the very idea of them being together _that_ way, and that smelled like trouble in the future. Ino sighed as she surveyed the now very white fields once more. _If a future there is…_

Iketetsomaru reached in his back and gripped a handle, realizing much too late that the small bokken he had brought wouldn't stand a chance against the chakra infused sword that Fubuki was using. The wood shattered in his face after blocking for a second time and he could only back flip to avoid his head from being sliced, now holding a useless piece of wood in his hand.

Ino saw the two Ematai come within view again, Ike being pushed back since he was unarmed. Shallow cuts covered his body here and there, despite his chakra protection, he couldn't avoid most of the strikes – and they were coming fast. Fubuki was still gaining in power, the aura surrounding him had fully turned to black now, and it was hard to simply make up when one strike on two landed. His speed was beyond imagination. And Ike was at his maximum. The blonde had an idea and reached in her back, unfastening the tube she had used during the exam from her belt, and then threw it in Ike's direction. The slight shift in the air current was enough to gain Ike's attention, and the man jumped up to go and grab the tube, coming back down onto his brother as a chakra blade formed itself inside the tool.

The buzz that resulted from the collision of both weapons made Sakura jump. She figured that the best thing to do was to go as far away from it as she could, finding out where she was could wait until it was over. But the simple fact that she didn't know where Ino was held her back. She had a bad feeling about this.

The magnitude of the powers colliding sent waves of energy about, and even though she wasn't that close to the two Ematais, Ino found herself being swiped away by the power emanating from it. Letting out a helpless yelp, she tried to flip herself up so she wouldn't land on her head, and ended up slamming into a tree, sliding down the rest of the way to the ground and falling into a bed of snow, on the edge of consciousness. Sakura had heard the cry from where she was and had immediately recognized Ino. As quickly as she could, she made her way through the tempest, avoiding broken branches and stones flailing about from seemingly nowhere. The more the two brothers tried to beat each other down, and the wilder this storm was getting. It was soon going to go out of hand.

It was no longer speed that decided which one of the brothers was winning, but power alone. The winner would be decided simply by who'd release the most terrifying amount of chakra, and so far Fubuki was in the lead. He was at the edge of his capabilities however, the whole six fangs of his body now glowing red through his clothing. Ike was just at four seals, the two under his left eye, and two in the back of his neck. "What's wrong Ike, is that all you've got?" Fubuki asked, his voice hollow and distorted as he put his foot back and used his chakra as support to jump over Ike and strike from behind. The Ematai was quicker and bent over before flipping around, striking low with the chakra blade. Fubuki blocked with ease, taking a step forward to put himself in advantage over his little brother, and then as if on common accord they both leapt backwards and stared each other down.

"Ino!" Sakura came within sight of the two Ematai's as the blizzard calmed down slightly, still searching for her blonde friend. When Fubuki's eyes were cast upon her she simply froze on the spot, her brain somehow understanding that this was it, she was the target, and would die right there. A single chuckle was heard, and then it felt like everything was in slow motion - despite the incredible speed it was all happening at. Ino raced towards Sakura, Fubuki's sending a power wave of ice towards her, Ike moving faster than it all and positioning himself between Sakura and his brother, sending a wave of chakra of his own.

Ino jumped and shoved Sakura up, effectively shielding the pink haired girl from most of the shockwave created by the two powers colliding before they were sent tumbling away. Two lengthy blue triangles started glowing through Iketetsomaru's torn clothes in his back and his power level instantly increased beyond imagination, sending a wave of crimson red chakra through his already enormous blue-ish power wall. The distant and distinct yell of Fubuki was loud enough to render anyone within earshot insane and even deaf for a moment, but no one was in a state that allowed them to even pay attention to this. After the rush of power, Iketetsomaru let out a scream of his own, before his body thumped to the ground, apparently lifeless. Sakura was under Ino's body, the blonde visibly unconscious, a stream of blood seeping out on the corner of her mouth. Sakura herself wasn't feeling too alive, and the last thing she remembered thinking about before falling unconscious was if Pakkun had gotten away in time.

Then it all went black. The silence engulfing everything within it's reach. At last, this fight was over.

* * *

**AN: ** Oh. My. God. goes into an hysterical laughter I finally pulled this one out! After a few weeks of very bad writer's block - and lack of time to write, period. This is, I think, the third version of this chapter. The first one was three pages long when I gave up on it, all I had managed to put in was some random character interaction, which ended up boring, and making more or less sense. The second version was a bit more than one page long before I ditched it - I was making Ike look like some kind of Sasuke-teme boy who'd held a grudge against his brother for so long and meh... Nope, not going to try and relate these two more than they already are alike. And through it all, I had periods where I'd open up the document, type two words, erase them, type two sentences, and then erase a whole paragraph, save, and leave it there. So yeah, bad writing phase. 

Then I came up with the idea that, in fact, maybe NOT giving the team any rest was the best way to get on with the action. I was stuck at giving Ike a reason to really hate his brother, or how and why he followed along. It's poorly explained in this chapter, but I didn't really want to make him give a pity show either - some more of it will be mentioned in the Epilogue . Also note that I went through a stretch here. The four Ematai warriors were actually taken from another story of mine which had pretty much nothing to do with Naruto, and although I didn't plan on including them all in this story, I just felt like it was a nice touch to add a bit more of a reason for Ike to release his flood seals.

I am not exactly proud of the outcome here. I feel like I might've gone a bit overboard with their power, and um, yeah Ino saves the day much? Well, it happens. Anyway, I hope you guys don,t hate me too much for how much Ino and Sakura have a very small part in this chapter. And yeah, the ending here is lame, but you already know there's an Epilogue following up. So please, don't hate! Feel free to leave a review! I'm pretty receptive to criticism in general even if I might not sound like it. Also, sorry for the delay in updating once again, and the next (and last) chapter shall come a lot quicker! (Hopefully)

Oh yesh, for those of you who might be interested. During my period of lack of inspiration, I started writing a short NaruSaku fic (most probably a one shot) called "What Floats your Boat". It's not finished yet, but keep checking around if you're interested, since I have a feeling i'll have that finished before my last chapter here

Thanks for reading! **  
**


	14. Epilogue: New Beginning

**Epilogue: New Beginning**

The sunlight hit the sleeping pink haired girl's face through the curtains, giving the white room a sort of angelic halo type of feel. A quiet grunt could be heard as the girl's eyes slowly flickered open, squinting to adjust her vision to the dim yet blinding light. Her first reaction as she realized she was awake was to scream the name of her friend. However, no sound came out of her throat. In a panic, the girl tried to sit up quickly, but was stopped short of doing so by a sharp pain in her back. She fell back on her pillow, wincing, and that's when she really took in her surroundings. _A pillow, sheets, white walls, sunlight. No Ino…_

It took her a while to register everything, her mind was still pretty dazed from, she guessed, meds and other blissful drugs that would keep the pain away for a bit. _I survived…_ She slowly tried to sit up this time, the pain in her back still preventing her from getting anywhere, so she finally settled for fluffing her pillow a bit and began a staring contest with the ceiling. She knew someone would show up to check on her sooner or later, and didn't trust herself to try and scream for attention.

_I wonder if Ike made it out alive… _She started thinking, as she tested her right arm, remembering how it was almost torn away from her body… a few days ago, at least. It was painful, but not unmanageable, and she reached up to scratch her nose with it. _And I hope Ino's fine… _A feeling of dread settled into the pit of her stomach at the thought of Ino. The blonde had taken the power blow straight on, simply to protect her from it. Sakura shook her head at the memories. _I should've been able to put up a chakra barrier of sorts to protect the both of us. And here I failed again. I just hope nobody died…_

"Oh, Haruno-san, you're awake?" Sakura blinked when she heard the voice, not recognizing it. She turned her head toward the door and examined its owner. A tall girl with strawberry blond hair about shoulder length, wearing a bandana over her forehead and smiling sweetly. The girl waved at her. For a moment she wondered if Hanmaru wasn't pulling a sexy no jutsu on her, until he himself appeared in the door frame. "Whatcha doin' all this noise for Yuhi?" He asked before his gaze fell on the surprised pink haired girl in the bed. "Oh, Sakura! Glad to see yer back with us." He said, smiling. Realization then finally hit Sakura, and the expression she got made both siblings laugh. "Yea, this here's Yuhika, my lil' sister." Hanmaru confirmed, wrapping his arm around the girl's shoulders. Sakura tried to mouth a 'Nice to meet you', but her voice remained ragged and pretty much inexistent. Hanmaru frowned at that. "Err, I'll go an' get 'da Hokage for you." He finally decided, taking a running start before anyone could stop him. Yuhika smiled sheepishly at Sakura. "Um, do you need something Haruno-san?"

Sakura couldn't help but giggle at the difference between the two Dasane. One was rash and hyperactive, and the second was shy and, oh so polite. The laughter strained on the sore excuse for a voice she already had however, and she ended up coughing. Yuhika instantly reached to a glass on the bedside table and handed it to the Sakura. "The water should help…" She offered, apparently unsure of how she wanted to carry on the conversation. Sakura nodded and propped herself up on her good arm to take a few sips of the cold liquid. It did help. "Thank you, Yuhika-chan." She whispered softly as she gave the now half full glass back to the other girl, who smiled at her. "Do you need anything else?" Sakura shook her head, and Yuhika nodded to her before she went for the door. "Wait." Sakura said on an afterthought. Hanmaru's sister turned around and waited for the incoming request. "Do you know how Ino's doing?" The pink haired girl asked almost fearfully. Yuhika first frowned, she was probably trying to remember who Ino was, and then her expression turned to a sad one and Sakura's heart clenched. "Yamanaka-san, right?" Sakura nodded hesitantly. "She's under Tsunade-sama's care. I'm afraid this is all I know." Sakura sighed in relief: at least Ino wasn't dead…

"Sakura!" Tsunade was heard before she could even be seen, and when she entered the room the first thing Sakura noticed was the bags under her eyes. She looked really exhausted, and somehow it made her feel bad for not waking up sooner and causing her sensei to worry about her. "I'm glad you're awake." The woman said as she walked up to her apprentice. Hanmaru quietly dragged his sister away while Tsunade was checking up on Sakura. "How are you doing?" She asked as she tugged a bit at the girl's arm, causing her to wince. "I can barely speak…" Sakura whispered in answer, noting the gentle nod Tsunade gave in acknowledgment. "And I can't sit up." She added, causing Tsunade to look at her immediately. "Of course not! That guy popped two of your vertebras off! I'd be surprised to see you walk in less than a week or two! You're lucky you can even think you'll walk again!"

A little thrown off by Tsunade's outburst, Sakura sank further into the bed and kept silent while she finished examining her.

"Um, Tsunade-sama?" Sakura risked asking when her sensei seemed satisfied with her condition. The older woman looked at her student and smiled. "Yes?" It was obvious that the smile was fake by how it seemed to strain the woman's cheeks and how her eyes weren't reflecting any emotions at all. Sakura gulped. "How's Ino doing?"

Tsunade straightened up and sighed, the smile completely disappearing from her face. "She'll be alright." Sakura frowned. If Ino was going to be alright, what was the matter then? "Look, Sakura. Maybe you should forget about her…"

"Uh?"

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. This _thing_ that's between you two. It's affecting your thinking on the battlefield. She took two hits that she didn't even need to take, just because of some… I shouldn't have let her come with you and Iketetsomaru…" The Fifth Hokage trailed off, waiting for what she said to sink in. And it did.

"What do **you** think** you** know about it?" It was Sakura's turn to get upset, and if she hadn't had these injuries, she would've stood up to talk back. Hearing that coming from Tsunade, the person she respected over everyone else, made her boil inside. "I know enough to understand this isn't good for leading a ninja life!" Tsunade shouted back, not holding anything back anymore.

"Once again, what do you think you know about this? Would you react the same if it had been Naruto?"

"Of course I would think the same way, especially since you're on the same team! You can't just… go and throw your life away just 'cause you love someone! Not when there's a mission at stake!"

"No you wouldn't! Otherwise you wouldn't have sent him risk his life for Sasuke!"

"Sasuke was worth the risk. If he…" Sakura didn't let her finish. "So Sasuke's worth the risk and I am NOT?!? He abandoned us, he betrayed us, but that some of us put their life on the line to try and save him is okay, but Ino protecting me, your student, is wrong?!?"

Tsunade stared at Sakura for a moment, realizing that her logic was, indeed, flawed. It was so easy to just pretend that it was wrong that she hadn't really looked a bit further into it, and had come up with the worse excuse ever, just to cover up her disgust – one she didn't really understand herself – over the matter. A few tears gathered at the corner of her tired eyes as she faced the truth, finally. "I'm sorry, Sakura. This is a bit hard for me to accept…" She admitted quietly. Almost instantly, the rage Sakura felt melted down and she sighed. It hadn't been easy to accept for herself, so it was a given some other people would have a hard time with it. But Tsunade of all of the 'other people'? That was a shock.

"Yeah, it's not like I was looking for it myself…" Sakura finally said, earning one of those motherly looks Tsunade would give her all the time. "I know Sakura. But I'm happy, if you're happy." Her mouth hung open as she was going to continue, but a knock on the door frame interrupted her. "Err, Tsunade-sama." Hanmaru's face was, contrary to his usual self, carrying a look of deep concern. "Ike needs ya." It didn't take more than that for Tsunade to sprint out of the room, almost running over the poor boy that was still standing in the door. Sakura was looking his way as if he was some guy from another planet right then. The young man reached behind his neck and scratched absently as he returned the girl a silly half smile. "Iketetsomaru is alive?"

Sakura felt bad for not even asking about him. He was the reason Ino and her were alive to begin with, he had just saved the village, and she had just assumed he was dead without giving it a second thought. "Well, sure he is!" Hanmaru answered with something akin to pride. But the tone in his voice was not reflected by the grin he tried to put on his face. "A little worse for the wear, but the guy'll pull through." He added, apparently not totally convinced by what he was saying. Sakura nodded sympathetically, unsure of what she could say to try and comfort Hanmaru.

"Oi, I have an idea." He said after a while, motioning to Sakura to wait for him as he raced towards some other place. The pink haired girl giggled at his attitude, wondering how he had managed being one of the main assassin under Fubuki's orders. That freak didn't deserve such a kind hearted ninja in his ranks, seriously. Nor did he ever should've had control over Iketetsomaru for so long. Sakura wondered how he had kept them under his command all this time, and somehow figured that it probably had something to do with threatening something precious to them – in Hanmaru's case, his little sister could've weighted a lot in the trade.

A wheelchair made it's way into the room, followed by a now genuinely smiling Hanmaru. "Ya get to visit yer friend, and the trip is a graciosity of yours truly, Dasane Transportations." He said enthusiastically, bowing as he did, and Sakura couldn't help but giggle. She debated accepting the offer for a bit though. "Does Tsunade know that?" Hanmaru looked thoughtful for a moment, scratching his chin with his left hand. "Naw, but if my sis can go and see her, why shouldn't you?" He offered. Sakura sighed. "I mean, moving me out of bed. Is that safe?" Hanamaru didn't answer, instead he made his way to the bed and smirked. Sakura pushed the sheets off of herself and he picked her up carefully, gently placing her in the wheelchair afterwards. "Did it hurt any?" Sakura blushed. She had just been carried bridal style – for a few seconds, but still – by a guy. One that was at least a little attractive. And a lot nicer than she had thought he could be. _Oh god what am I thinking? I'm in love with Ino, right? I can't just go and… gah he **is** handsome…_

**_Earth to Sakura, it's not because you fantasize about some hottie that you don't love Ino._**

_I know! But… I mean… That makes me…_

**_Bisexual. So what's wrong? You obsessed over Sasuke for years. Did you think that was all just a fluke?_**

_I hate how you make sense sometimes._

**_Who knows, maybe you could convince Ino to have a threesome with…_**

_No no no noooo NO! Enough I don't wanna hear anymore!_

**_Or maybe an foursome with Ike too… Yummy…_**

_Shut up!_

**_You know you want to._**

By the time they had reached Ino's room, Sakura was bright red and shaking her head, trying to chase the images out of her mind. What was worse, was that they had actually turned her on, and that felt so wrong.

Hanmaru left her chair right beside the bed and smiled at her. "I'll leave ya two alone. If there's anything, me or Yuhi should be around, so just call." Sakura smiled at him. "Thank you." The boy smiled sheepishly and turned around. "It's no prob, really." As he walked away, the sun reflected on the forehead protector he wore over his shoulder, and Sakura noted that the Hawk village plate had been replaced by one of Konoha. Well that was good news.

"Geez forehead, if you keep looking at guys like this, I'll end up jealous you know?" Ino's faint voice shook Sakura out of her daze, and renewed the blush on her cheeks. "He's a pretty cool guy when you get to know him, and he **is** hot. Maybe a bit too Naruto-ish to my liking though." The blonde continued, giving Sakura a smirk, as if she had read in her thoughts or something. Sakura giggled. "You know there is only you though, right?" She said, seriously. This time Ino giggled. "Oh please, I'm not that blind. You were seriously blushing at the thought of him… doing things. Right?" Sakura shook her head and searched for Ino's hand, giving it a light squeeze when she found it. "I mean, I'll only ever truly love you." Ino squeezed her hand back. "You better, after what I did for you. Although if it worked that way, we'd have to be married to Ike for a couple lifetimes…" Sakura laughed again and tried to lean in to give Ino a kiss, her back protested however and she ended up wincing. Ino ended up being the one to move, albeit really slowly, and press her lips to Sakura for a soft, gentle kiss. She pulled back smiling brightly. "I'm the one who took the most risk, and somehow you're the one who stayed out of it the longest." Sakura gave her a playful glare. "Maybe that's 'cause I healed you before passing out, baka. And you probably would be out of that bed by now if you hadn't been stupid enough to take the blow instead of me setting up a barrier."

Ino's expression turned serious. "Idiot." Sakura frowned, not at all expecting that kind of answer. Ino dropped back into her pillow and sighed. "When someone saves your life, you say thank you." She continued, not daring to look at Sakura. Tears started to form at the corner of her eyes. "I've had enough of Tsunade telling me it was stupid already." She finally added, her body now shaken by quiet sobs as she tightened her grip on Sakura's hand. "I just… couldn't risk losing you. I didn't think, my body moved on it's own. I love you Sakura." This time Ino turned her head and looked her love straight in the eyes. Sakura wanted to hug her, real tight, and never let go. Their current position however, barely allowed them to move. "I love you too Ino. I really do." She answered, brushing her thumb against the back of Ino's hand.

"Tsunade's been trying to convince me that…" Ino started, but was interrupted.

"I know." Sakura said, her vision getting slightly blurry. "She said the same thing to me…" Ino nodded at that and closed her eyes.

"You're not going to…" She was cut off by Sakura once more.

"No. Never. I love you, and no matter what anyone else might think, that's not going to change." Her voice, although weak, held so much conviction that Ino couldn't help but break down, now clearly crying. "Sakura I… Don't let go of me, please." Sakura's eyes grew wide, why would she let go, anyway? Her urge to be right beside the blonde grew even more at that request, and she decided that calling on Hanmaru again, in this case, was the quickest way to make it work. "Hanmaru?" She shouted tentatively, noting that the mention of the name made Ino sob a little harder. The young man was in the door frame not much more than ten seconds later. "Ya called?" He offered, not quite wanting to walk in for nothing. "Yeah, I have a special request…" Sakura said, waiting for the boy to walk over to her before she continued, all the while still holding Ino's hand as if hanging onto life itself. "Something that might get me in trouble, aye?" He said quietly, watching the two girls with a hint of a smile at the corner of his lips. "Yes, but just tell Tsunade I forced you to…" Sakura said, pausing to look at Ino. "I just want you to put me in her bed."

Hanmaru blinked, but obliged anyway, making sure both girls had everything they needed before he left. Not like they needed much anyway – they had each other, and it was all that mattered.

--------------------------------------

"This year was, once again, a rough year for the chuunin exams. I have to say however, that I am proud of all of you. You all showed true determination and courage throughout all of the trials that have been laid on your path, and most of you have overcome great obstacles in order to make it where you are now. I am almost sad to say that only a few of you will earn the chuunin title this time around. But very proud to announce that one of you already has attained the rank of jounin." Tsunade made her small speech in front of the gathered finalists of the chuunin exam, and a few of the country's dirigeants. Most of them had completely recovered from the attack, although Sakura was still making use of a crutch to stand, in this instance her crutch being Ino, who she was leaning on as she smiled, knowing full well that she would be one of the new chuunin, since she had already been told so. "Dasane Hanmaru, Haruno Sakura, Inuzuka Kiba and Yamanaka Ino, you four showed your incredible skills as ninjas, and your wit in situations as intense as life and death matters. Therefore, you are now promoted to Chuunins." She paused as she looked each one of the ninjas she had named in the eyes and smiled at them. "Now concerning our newly named jounin, I'm afraid he couldn't make it to this makeshift ceremony, but I'd still like to mention him so we can pay our respects. Without his power and support, Konoha would probably be a memory to this day…"

Hanmaru, acting like his usual self, yawned to gather everyone's attention. "I wouldn't count my cookies before 'da birds hatch…" He said in what he probably wanted to look like a philosophical expression. Even Tsunade couldn't hold back a chuckle at how silly this had sounded, but the laughters subsided when they all saw who had showed up.

His body was covered in seals of different sizes and colors, some of them glowing, others fading. The next thing you'd realize was how he was panting, hard, his shoulders were slumped as if he had been carrying twice his weight on his back. His skin was burned badly – although apparently healing, and all he wore was a loosely fitting pair of gray pants. "Ematai Iketetsomaru, present." He said in a single breath, attempting a smile afterwards. Tsunade simled and motionned for him to join the group, which he gladly did, limping slightly on the way until he found his balance on Hanmaru.

"He's cute." Ino whispered to Sakura, causing the pink haired girl to blush. She couldn't deny it. Then the blonde placed a kiss on her girlfriend's cheek. "But I'm hotter than him, right?" Sakura decided to play the game too, and thought about it for a moment. "I'm not sure…" She finally said, earning a glare from Ino. She quietly answered the glare with a _'you fell for it'_ look and then they both returned their attention to Tsunade who had started talking again.

"I'd like to mention the courage and dedication this man has given Konoha despite everything that has happened to his family. And despite what he's had to do to put an end to this. We owe this man our lives, and hope that, by greeting him, Dasane Hanmaru and Yuhika inside the village, we'll be able to repay at least half the favor. Ike, congrats, you are now a jounin." Everyone cheered and applauded, And the young Ematai looked surprised. "I've only done what I thought was right…" He said timidly, being heard only by the ones closer to him – Hanmaru, Sakura and Ino. They all smiled at him gratefully. And that was pretty much how the ceremony ended, the ones that hadn't been promoted walking away a little discouraged, Kiba nearly jumping to the sky with Akamaru, Hanmaru wanting to stick with both girls, and Ike walked away.

"I'll go talk to him…" Sakura said, grabbing her crutch where she had left it at the entrance and going after him before Ino or Hanmaru could protest. She found him leaning over a railing and looking down at Konoha, and he would've looked peaceful save for the occasional coughing fits shaking his body, and the way his breathing was ragged. It looked almost painful for him to just be alive right then. "It's a nice view, isn't it?" Sakura said softly, taking the spot next to him and assuming a similar position. Iketetsomaru didn't even look at her. He just kept looking at some distant spot far, far away. Sakura tried to find something else to say after noting his lack of response, but she then resigned herself to just standing there next to him.

"This is going to be different." He eventually let out, and it felt like someone had dropped eggs on the ground. As if he had just splattered down and would never be the same. Sakura noticed the shift in his aura too. It still felt powerful, and untamed. But threatening – not anymore. She wasn't sure if it was because she had gotten used to it, or if it was because she now knew him and knew he would not hurt her. Or maybe he really had just changed. "You'll get used to it." She tried to say reassuringly, but he still wouldn't look at her.

Sakura sighed and resumed watching the sun sink down into the horizon by Ike's side. "Thank you Haruno." Surprised, Sakura whipped her head to the side, just in time to catch a sincere, yet goofy smile on Ike's usually serious face.

"Nani?" She asked, wondering what it was that she had done to earn thanks from him. She should've been the one on her knees showing her eternal gratitude.

"You showed me who I really was." Sakura still held her puzzled expression. The goofy smile reappeared on Ike's face. "I saw you striving to get stronger, fighting to protect the ones you love. It gave me that little bit of courage I was lacking."

Sakura smiled and nodded slowly, thinking this through. In the end, she had managed to hold on to her promise, after all… "So why didn't you do this earlier?" She asked on a whim, covering her mouth with both her hands immediately afterwards, regretting the words as she knew it wasn't her place to ask such a thing. Ike's expression drifted into sadness as he once again began to stare into emptiness, but he didn't seem mad at her for bringing it up.

"I couldn't kill my own brother, as much as I wanted to. I was raised, after my brothers were killed, as an assassin, and for a while Fubuki made me believe that it was all to get revenge on the one who had slaughtered my family." He sighed and slumped against the railing a bit, gripping it with both hands. Sakura put her hand in his back in what she wanted to be a comforting gesture, but it apparently hurt the young Ematai and he jerked away. "I'm sor…"

"Don't sweat it. I appreciate your intention, Sakura-chan." He cut her off before she could apologize, turning towards her again wearing a sheepish smile that wavered under a wince. "Then once I learned he had been the one behind the slaughter, I began to despise him." Iketetsomaru picked the story up, the last hint of his smile fading away. "But he was stronger than me, and whenever I'd disobey him, he'd show me illusions, things I could not stand." He paused, apparently reminiscing some of the images that had plagued his mind.

"Eventually, I was able to witness anything he could show me, and still stand my ground afterwards, so he started threatening the only thing I had close to a family left: Hanmaru and his sister. They were caught in this but had no reason to be, I couldn't let them suffer just because I couldn't deal with what my brother did. I never thought I could… " Ike sighed loudly and shook his head. "I ended up being too far gone to care and just did my brother's bidding without question. Han followed blindly – he knew too well that if he opposed anything, he'd end up hurting his sister. Izzy… well he was a case apart. I never knew how he felt. But he was a loyal friend, and I still can't… "

Iketetsomaru grabbed his face with both hands and took a deep breath as Sakura just kept watching and listening, unable to do anything other to help her new friend. He eventually looked up, not quite at her, but at some random points in the landscape behind her. "Thank you once again for showing me what I should've done a long time ago."

Sakura smiled at him, feeling proud of herself for some reason. _Well, if I was able to change Ike, maybe I still have a chance to help Sasuke. Maybe, just maybe, I'll get him to come back to Konoha. With Naruto's help…_

"Hey, Sakura! Ike!" Hanmaru's voice interrupted the two's train of thoughts as the man, in his usual unpredictable fashion, crashed on them from above – no idea where he could've jumped off of. This, of course, broke off the tension of the moment, but also gave Ike back his goofy smile. "Watch where you land Han-teme. I still haven't got all my reflexes back." Ike said playfully as he recovered his balance on the railing.

"Meh, even if you were blind an' chained up a mountain, ye'd still be quicker than me." Hanmaru joked back, earning himself a hair ruffling by his friend.

"I hope you got a good reason for interrupting our private moment!" Ike replied with a wink to Sakura, which caused Ino, who was now standing nearby, to roll her eyes and snort. "Like you have any chances with her in forever, Ematai-sennin!."

"Hey, I'm not **that **old!" Ike defended himself.

"Sure ya are Ike!" Hanmaru pushed on.

"Well that makes you some kind of an old creepy sage then, Han."

"Pfft, who cares anyway?" Sakura asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Ino walked up to her and put a kiss on her cheek.

"I sure don't. Sage or toddlers, none of them are getting any closer to **MY** Sakura-chan." She said, wrapping her arms around Sakura's waist from behind and leaning her chin on the pink haired girl's shoulders.

"When did I become your property Miss Yamanaka?" Sakura asked, giggling, as she leant back into her girlfriend, actually really enjoying this possessive side of Ino at the moment.

"Prolly since the day she gave ya that hickey." Hanmaru smirked pointing to a random spot on Sakura's neck, which Ino instantly covered with her mouth to suck on as Sakura's eyes grew wide. She tried to shake the blonde off of her but only managed to lose her footing and fall into Ino's arms instead, causing everyone to laugh a good shot.

"Are any of you coming or not?" This time it was Yuhika's voice resonating in the air of this late afternoon, her silhouette casting a shadow down on the four ninjas as she stood on top of a roof. Sakura and Ike gave her an inquiring look while Hanmaru shrugged and Ino nodded. "Apparently Asuma is offering us dinner at Ichiraku's tonight, to celebrate our promotion." The blonde said, shrugging. "He said we could drag the two handsome boys that weren't already invited along, so we came to drag you and Ike over there."

It only took a second before Sakura's face twisted into a really annoyed expression. And Hanmaru's as well, as both of them turned to Ino and nearly yelled in unison, pointing each other. "I'm not a guy/girl!!!"

Both Ike and Ino laughed heartily, and were soon joined by Yuhika who leaped off of her perch. "Well, shall we get going?" She asked shortly after the biggest fits of laughter subsided, receiving a nod from everyone. "To Ichiraku!" Sakura yelled, Naruto-style, and they all walked, limped and even skipped on the way to the restaurant, just like a bunch of kids ten years younger. Even Ike looked like his wounds weren't all that bad anymore.

It looked like, finally, things were back to normal around Konoha. And the peace, although most probably temporary, was a well deserved one.

* * *

**AN: **Well this is it, the last chapter of this story that I actually really enjoyed writing" And I finished! OMG! That's a first:P  
I haven't proofread yet (because I know I've left something out, I always do), but its really late and I got work tomorrow lol. And I couldn't wait to post it since I'm so eager to have finally finished a story! Now the bad news (or good for you, readers who mightve enjoyed this) is that i got plenty of ideas for a sequel. So once I'm done with thatNaruSaku short story I'm also working on, I might actually pick up this storyline and build up from there lol. 

I'd love to thank all my faithful readers, most notably DarkInu418 who's been great support and inspiration all along. And of course everyone else that's reviewed. All the comments you make are taken into account. I'll have a go at editing the whole story one day to make it more enjoyable to read (I am conscious of how squished up my writing seems to be since I don't usually cut when the person who's speaking switches. I do try to pay more attention to that now, but I may still fail. Nobody's perfect )

So, I hope you enjoyed! Leave a review if you did, leave one if you didn't too! See yowzers!


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